Browsing: WHO

• Triumph over sleeping sickness scourge sees Kenya join Benin, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda in eradicating the disease.
• Health authorities in Kenya have not reported any indigenous new cases of sleeping sickness since 2009.
• Sleeping sickness, which is only prevalent in Africa, is caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (r-HAT) and often progresses fast, attacking multiple organs in human body including the brain.

Kenya has been declared free of sleeping sickness disease, joining 10 other countries in Africa which have received similar certification from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In an update, the UN health agency Director General lauded authorities in Kenya for eliminating Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), popularly known as sleeping sickness, an infection which is only prevalent in Africa.

The achievement comes seven years after Kenya received similar certification from the WHO for efforts in eliminating the prevalence of Guinea worm disease.

“I …

• 150 companies impact a third of the world’s water usage.
• For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between $3 and $34.
• Africa water crisis is worsening poverty levels, derailing development.

Water management is a basic necessity for modern development in any nation. Water waste needs to become a thing of the past and that growing a business goes hand in hand with solving the water crisis.

These are the views of Christophe Beck, chairman and CEO of Ecolab, a US based company that provides a wide range of water management and hygiene products and services ranging from disinfectants and cleaning supplies to water-treatment systems.

“Ecolab was founded in 1923 and to date, we provide our services to customers in more than 170 countries,” said the proud CEO.

Ecolab, or Economics Laboratory, started with serving the restaurant industry, now the company has a staff …

• WHO Africa region office will be led by Tanzanian Professor Janabi if the 157th session of the WHO Executive Board, which takes place from 28 to 29 May 2025 in Geneva, endorses his nomination.
• Other candidates seeking the post were Dr N’da Konan Michel Yao (proposed by Cote d’Ivoire), Dr Mohamed Lamine Dramé (proposed by Guinea), and Professor Moustafa Mijiyawa (proposed by Togo).’
• “Professor Janabi will take the reins at an unprecedented time for the African Region, and WHO as a whole,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

WHO Africa region office is set to have a new head with the nomination of Tanzanian Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, who is poised to take over the post following the death of Regional Director-elect, Dr Faustine Ndugulile in November last year.

Prof Janabi was elected at a Special Session by Member States of the WHO African Region convened in Geneva. Other …

• Tanzania has officially introduced Prof. Mohamed Janabi for WHO Africa Director candidacy.
• Prof Janabi is a member of faculty at Medical University of South Carolina, USA, and has over 83 medical publications.
• He speaks at least four languages including Russian, and Japanese.

Professor Mohamed Janabi has been selected by Tanzania as the country’s candidate for the post of World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Region Director.

Prof Janabi is a member of faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina, USA, and is currently a special envoy to the Tanzanian President, as Senior Advisor on Health and Nutrition matters.

Following his nomination, he will be in the race to become the new WHO Africa Director following the death of regional director elect, Dr Faustine Ndugulile, on November 27, 2024.

The medic is a distinguished public health expert with  several decades of experience, and has held various senior positions in both …

• WHO Chief faults Trump’s suspension of funding to PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, noting that it has caused immediate stop to HIV treatment, testing and prevention services in 50 countries.
• With the immediate halt of U.S. aid plan, ongoing prevention programmes for at-risk groups disrupted as clinics close, sending thousands of health workers home.
• For decades, economies across Sub-Saharan Africa have pivoted on USAID to drive critical health interventions and humanitarian relief.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm over looming negative impact on several critical health initiatives in Africa including HIV, malaria, and Tuberculosis (TB) across the world following the withdrawal of financing by the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s new administration.

In an update on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that economies across Africa and beyond risk plunging into disruptions to ongoing HIV treatment plans, while also suffering setbacks on …

• The UAE will host the third World Local Production Forum from April 7–9, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, focusing on advancing health equity, global health security, and sustainable development.
• The event, organized in partnership with the WHO, will gather over 4,000 participants to discuss innovation, technology transfer, and strategies for resilient healthcare systems.
• Forum highlights the UAE’s leadership in healthcare innovation and its commitment to fostering sustainable health solutions.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to host the third edition of the World Local Production Forum (WLPF) from April 7 to 9, 2025, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Under the theme “Advancing Local Production for Health Equity, Global Health Security, and Sustainable Development,” the forum aims to bring together global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to develop practical strategies for enhancing local production capacities in healthcare.

Hosting the WLPF underscores the UAE’s strategic role as a global …

• The trio’s collaboration focuses on a joint response that will help countries better prepare and respond to public health threats.
• Trio says their alliance will leverage each other’s expertise to help countries strengthen pandemic preparedness and enhance resilience during pandemics.
• According to the WHO, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for new sources of financing to bolster health systems.

The leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed on a broad-based cooperation to boost the world’s pandemic preparedness.

In a statement to the press, the three global institutions said this cooperation will allow a scaling up of support to countries to prevent, detect, and respond to the next global health crisis.

“The stepped-up collaboration with the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization will help our institutions complement and leverage each other’s expertise to help our members …

• The bulk of the financing will go toward tackling mpox in 14 most affected African countries, and enhancing readiness efforts in 15 others.
• Other funds will go into operational and technical support, ensuring that the plan is executed through a network of partners.
• Africa CDC and WHO hope to reduce the virus’s impact and curb its spread.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have teamed up to counter the spread of Mpox across the continent in a new plan estimated at $600 million. This initiative, which is set to run between September 2024 and February next year, is poised to firm up Africa’s capacity to check the spread of the virus, cushion the populations at most risk and curb the spread of the disease.

Across the continent, mpox is spreading, and although calls for vaccines continue to intensify, the need …

• WHO, CDC launch joint unit to improve disaster preparedness.
• JEAP has a mandate for disaster response across Africa.
• JEAP prioritises readiness, and collective efforts to fight public health emergencies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a partnership to tackle challenges arising from humanitarian crises associated with disasters.

Dubbed Joint Emergency Preparedness and Response Action Plan (JEAP), the unit is a five-year strategic collaboration to boost the continent’s overall emergency preparedness and response.

JEAP has the mandate to operate across Africa to ensure among other things, disease outbreaks during humanitarian crises are managed efficiently.

Power of partnerships in global health

“The JEAP underscores the shared vision of Africa’s two leading public health institutions – to strengthen the emergency preparedness and response and health systems on the continent,” reads a press communique shared at the turn of the week.

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