News Releases

Universal access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is one of the key components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 5 and contributes to the achievement of all the other SDGs. Sadly however, in Africa the SRHR goals are those that made little progress during the MDG era where no country in the African Region achieved the target on universal access to reproductive health.

The African Academy of Sciences and WHO unveil strategic partnership to strengthen technology and innovations aimed at promoting good health and well-being in Africa.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and its nine neighbouring countries endorse a joint framework to strengthen cross-border collaboration on preparedness and response to Ebola virus and other disease outbreaks.

To enhance capacities for timely confirmation and prompt response to emerging disease outbreaks, South Sudan is establishing molecular testing capacities for influenza and other high-threat infectious diseases like Ebola virus disease (EVD), Yellow Fever, Marburg virus disease (MVD) and Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

To curb smoking and the many diseases related to tobacco, Rwanda increased the tax on cigarettes. The country joins Benin, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo in implementing WHO-supported tax reforms on cigarettes.

With President Uhuru Kenyatta leading the way, Kenya today joins an increasing number of African countries taking a vital step against a common cause of death among women – in the country and the region – by introducing the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine against cervical cancer into its routine immunization schedule.

Uganda is set to immunize more than 18 million children younger than 15 years against measles and rubella, which amounts to 43% of the country’s population. Among them, 8.2 million children younger than 59 months, or 20.5% of the population, will also receive the oral polio vaccine.

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has developed a road map that will accelerate health emergency risk profiling in countries within its African Region. 

United Nations agencies working to stop the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo commend the Government's strong leadership and the tireless efforts of thousands of health workers and partners that have led to 1000 people surviving the disease.