News Releases

Brazzaville – World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region today released groundbreaking new guidance to help strengthen efforts to address the growing threat of sickle cell disease in the region.

Significant for their integrated and holistic approach, the new technical documents offer detailed, actionable strategies and insights to support countries to improve quality of care, make treatment more accessible and boost overall health outcomes.

In the midst of a raging cholera outbreak in Sorgin, Nsanje, Kaombe Sugar Company finds itself at the epicenter of a public health crisis. Field workers, including long-time employee Michael Kajobe, face dire sanitation challenges as the absence of toilets and water washing mechanisms in sugarcane plantations forces them to resort to unhygienic practices.

Addis Ababa – More than 80  ministry of health experts, regional and global partners and civil society representatives have set in motion the development of a roadmap to catalyse action to reshape the health financing ecosystem in Africa, and make it fit-for-purpose towards 2030 and beyond.

A new, comprehensive framework has been launched to guide health authorities, policy-makers and other stakeholders towards elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) as a public health problem in eastern Africa.

Also known as kala-azar, VL is a deadly parasitic disease that causes fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement, and – if untreated – death. Transmitted by the bite of infected female sandflies, VL is endemic in 80 countries around the world. In 2022, eastern Africa accounted for 73% of global VL cases, half of which occurred in children aged under 15 years.

Mutare – The number of cholera cases in Zimbabwe is declining thanks to the expanded and decentralized cholera response activities undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Child Care

Brazzaville – Tobacco use among adolescents in the African region declined by nearly 18% between 2020 and 2022, and by 46% among adults during the same period as countries adopt stronger measures to control the use of tobacco. 

Brazzaville/Lilongwe/Maputo – Following thorough assessments in Malawi and Mozambique, an independent Polio Outbreak Response Assessment Team (OBRA) today recommended the closure of the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) outbreak in Malawi and Mozambique, marking a significant milestone in the fight against polio in the African region.

Windhoek – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and partner organizations today launched the region’s first-ever health investment charter that aims to align and drive sustainable investment in the health workforce.