Source: Médecins sans frontières (MSF) |

South Sudan: ‘Malaria is preventable with the right tools’

Despite the predictable recurrence of malaria peaks, immunization coverage remains inadequate, contributing to overcrowded health facilities and an unbroken cycle of severe cases

Malaria remains a leading cause of illness and death among children in South Sudan. The country faces malaria outbreak every year, worsened by factors such as flooding, poverty and a fragile health system. Despite the predictable recurrence of malaria peaks, immunization coverage remains inadequate, contributing to overcrowded health facilities and…

Source: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) |

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls for Reassessment of United States Level 3 Travel Advisory on Rwanda

Rwanda’s success is credited to the swift and coordinated efforts led by its Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Africa CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and international partners

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has formally urged the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) to reassess and lift the Level 3 travel advisory (“Reconsider Travel”) issued for Rwanda on October…

Source: Médecins sans frontières (MSF) |

South Sudan: Urgent action needed to address growing cholera outbreak

Contaminated water sources, open defecation, and overcrowded living conditions due to new arrivals from Sudan pose a significant threat to both refugees and the local community

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has set up a 20-bed cholera treatment unit (CTU) at the Renk Civil Hospital in South Sudan, in response to a cholera outbreak declared by the Ministry of Health (MoH) on 28 October. We call on all organisations in Upper Nile state to help prevent the…

Source: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) |

Africa’s Pursuit of Cost-Effective Community Health Worker Services

Community Health Workers are the cornerstone of primary health care systems, serving as the critical link between communities and formal healthcare structures

Fifteen service categories, comprising a total of 110 interventions, have been identified in Africa as priorities for delivery through Community Health Workers. Now, health economists are analyzing the cost of each package to determine how it can transform health outcomes across the continent. The Health Economics and Financing Division, along with the Division of…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Ethiopia |

Reactive measles vaccination campaign in Ethiopia reaches over 1.7 million children

This reactive measles vaccination campaign was conducted from 28 July 2024 to 4 August 2024 in the prioritized 44 measles outbreak affected woredas aiming to stop the ongoing measles outbreaks and prevent further spread

The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), with technical and financial support of partners including WHO and UNICEF, conducted a measles outbreak response vaccination campaign in four outbreaks affected regions of Amhara, Gambella, Oromia and South Ethiopia. The national cumulative administrative coverage showed that a total of 1,707,039 children under ten…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - South Sudan |

South Sudan mounts a nationwide polio vaccination campaign: a massive push towards stopping the ongoing outbreak

In South Sudan, immunization coverage has been impacted by population movements and displacement related to the ongoing humanitarian crisis

A nationwide campaign aimed at vaccinating 3.3 million children from 0 to 59 months of age against polio launched in South Sudan using the novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2.  The campaign led by the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other…

Source: International Rescue Committee (IRC) |

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Responds to the Mpox Outbreak in Uganda

The IRC, with support from DG - ECHO, has over the last two months been implementing interventions in response to this outbreak

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is responding to the Mpox outbreak in Uganda where cases have now risen to 359 in up to 35 districts with one confirmed death. The IRC response is part of a broader effort to enhance epidemic preparedness while improving the health and nutrition status of refugees and…

Source: United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) |

United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) appoints the artist OUM as National Goodwill Ambassador in Morocco

As UNAIDS continues its mission to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, collaboration with influential figures like OUM is crucial

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is pleased to announce the appointment of renowned Moroccan artist OUM as its National Goodwill Ambassador in Morocco. The prestigious announcement was made at the Taragalte Festival, held from November 1-3, 2024, in Mhamid El Ghizlane, where OUM proudly serves as the…

Source: World Health Organization - United Republic of Tanzania |

Africa Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication urges heightened efforts in 2025 to restore immunity and make polio history

With 23 African countries affected so far in 2024, the ARCC reviewed the status of polio eradication efforts, focusing on global and regional developments and progress in the six participating countries

The Africa Regional Certification Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (ARCC) has urged Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and the United Republic of Tanzania, along with health partners, to take swift action to close polio immunity gaps and address ongoing outbreaks. This recommendation…

Source: East African Community (EAC) |

East African Community (EAC) deploys Experts to combat Mpox outbreak

The pool aims to ensure a timely, coordinated, and multidisciplinary response to disease outbreaks, in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR)

For the first time, the East African Community (EAC) is operationalising its Rapidly Deployable Expert (RDE) Pool in response to an international public health emergency due to the spreading Mpox virus disease outbreak. EAC Partner States such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Burundi…