Health Ministers from ten southern African countries and senior officials of the World Health Organization meet from 26 - 28 August in Harare, Zimbabwe, to examine the response of the health sector to the acute and large-scale humanitarian crisis facing the region.

Johannesburg, 11 August 2009 -- The emergence of the Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Pandemic puts an additional pressure on health systems of African countries already stretched with other competing public health priorities, said Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.

oday Sierra Leone kicked off bed net distributions to help protect its population against malaria, which remains one of the country’s most deadly diseases. In total, 4.3 million insecticide treated bed nets will be distributed through the landmark nationwide campaign.