1. WHO Africa

News Releases

Africa needs seven-fold rise in COVID-19 vaccine shipments 

Brazzaville – COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa must rise by over seven times from around 20 million per month to 150 million each month on average if the continent is to fully vaccinate 70% of its people by September 2022.

The 70% target was agreed at the global COVID-19 summit hosted by the United States of America on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly this week. 

Read more »

Africa faces 470 million COVID-19 vaccine shortfall in 2021

As the COVAX Facility is forced to slash planned COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to Africa by around 150 million this year, the continent faces almost 500 million doses short of the global year-end target of fully vaccinating 40% of its population. This shortfall comes as Africa tops 8 million COVID-19 cases this week.   
Read more »

Guinea declares end of Marburg virus disease outbreak

Guinea today declared the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak having recorded no new cases over the past 42 days—two incubation periods, or the time between infection and the onset of symptoms. The virus was confirmed on 9 August, marking the first time the disease emerged in the country and in West Africa.
Read more »

COVID-19 variants prolong Africa’s pandemic wave

Weekly COVID-19 cases in Africa fell by more than 20%—the sharpest seven-day decline in two months – as the third wave pandemic tapers off. However, the rate of deceleration is slower than the previous waves owing to the impact of more transmissible variants.
Read more »

Eight in 10 African countries to miss crucial COVID-19 vaccination goal

Africa is set to miss the urgent global goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable 10% of every country’s population against COVID-19 by the end of September. Forty-two of Africa’s 54 nations—nearly 80%—are set to miss the target if the current pace of vaccine deliveries and vaccinations hold, new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows. 
Read more »

African countries commit to ending all forms of polio at regional meeting

Governments from the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region have committed to ending all remaining forms of polio and presented a scorecard to track progress towards the eradication of the virus. The commitments came at a dedicated meeting on polio at the Seventy-first WHO Regional Committee for Africa.
Read more »

African Health Ministers open meeting to shape continent’s health agenda

Brazzaville, 24 August 2021 – African Health Ministers and representatives from countries gathered today for the Seventy-first session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, the preeminent meeting on public health in Africa. During the annual gathering, the Health Ministers set the health agenda for the next 12 months.

Read more »