News Releases

Lusaka – With one in five children in Africa still missing basic, life-saving vaccines, World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are calling for accelerated action to reach all children and put the continent back on track to achieve the Immunization Agenda 2030 goals towards reducing illness and deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases.

Dakar – The fourth WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health concluded in Dakar, Senegal with renewed optimism to address the crucial social factors that significantly impact the health of refugees and migrants worldwide.

Lusaka – In an effort to reinforce the fight against cervical cancer in Africa, World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are supporting countries to scale up vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer.

• More than 330,000 doses of WHO-recommended RTS,S malaria vaccine arrived last night in Cameroon – a historic step towards broader vaccination against one of the deadliest diseases for African children
• Malaria burden is the highest on the African continent, which accounted for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of related deaths in 2021
• With several African countries now finalizing rollout plans, an additional 1.7 million doses are set for delivery to Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone in the coming weeks
• These shipments signal t

Lilongwe, 16 November 2023 ‒ Today the Government of Malawi’s ratification of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into effect. With this historic decision, Malawi joins a community of 182 other Parties to the Convention, affirming the country’s high-level political commitment to combatting the global tobacco epidemic and prioritizing public health and well-being. 

Accra, 10 November 2023 – African lawmakers gathering for the continent’s first-ever parliamentary meeting on health security today agreed to support actions for stronger health systems to enable countries effectively prevent, prepare and respond to public health threats. 

Brazzaville – With one in five children currently missing crucial immunizations, African Immunization experts have pledged to address the pressing issue of vaccine access and equity. Following an intensive and collaborative meeting of the Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (RITAG) in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, over 150 immunization experts in the African Region committed to enhancing access and accelerating efforts to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Brazzaville/Istanbul – In a first of its kind, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa’s Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme this week gathered experts from three of the Organization’s regional offices to equip them with crucial skills on health leadership to help bolster individual and organizational efforts towards a stronger future for global health.

Abuja, 24 October 2023 – Nigeria today introduced the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunization system, aiming to reach 7.7 million girls – the largest number in a single round of HPV vaccination in the African region – in a vaccination drive against the virus that causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. 

Girls aged 9–14 years will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which is highly efficacious in preventing infection with HPV types 16 and 18 that are known to cause at least 70% of cervical cancers.