News Releases

Bolstering Africa’s health emergency readiness and response

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in partnership with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, West African Health Organization, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UK Health Security Agency, Robert Koch Institute and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today kicked off the region’s largest public health emergency operation centre (PHEOC) simulation exercise to step up readiness to respond to public health emergencies, with 36 countries taking part in the two-day functional exercise.

African region tops world in undiagnosed diabetes: WHO analysis

Brazzaville – Only 46% of people living with diabetes in the African region know their status, raising the risk of severe illness and death, potentially worsening the situation in the region which already has the world’s highest mortality rates due to the disease, a new analysis by World Health Organization (WHO) shows.

Progress in polio eradication in Africa

Abuja – The African region has made significant strides in the fight against polio, reaching a monumental achievement in August 2020 when the region was certified as free of indigenous wild polio after eliminating all forms of wild poliovirus. Professor Tunji Funsho, chair of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, discusses the milestones and challenges in the polio fight.

What are the major highlights of the decades-long polio fight in Africa?