The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, has called on governments, health workers, partners, patients and families to make patient safety an integral part of care for people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Marking World Patient Safety Day 2026, themed “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases” with the slogan “Safe care for life!”, Dr…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Dr Vanea Kerry as the Director-General’s Special Envoy for Health Resilience. WHO announced the appointment in a statement on Wednesday, saying Kerry would champion resilient, integrated and sustainably financed health systems capable of responding to both everyday health needs and emerging threats. The organisation said her mandate would…
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it needs 5,000 additional health workers to strengthen the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to the WHO, more than 6,600 confirmed cases and 3,175 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak was detected in May, with the virus spreading across six provinces. The UN health…
The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Nigeria to strengthen data and information management systems to help identify children who are missed during polio vaccination campaigns. Sixty-two data and information management officers from Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are participating in a two-week training in Akwanga, Nasarawa State. The training focuses on…
Tobacco production is declining globally, but Africa is bucking the trend, with tobacco-leaf production on the continent rising by nearly nine per cent between 2012 and 2024, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The report revealed that while global tobacco-leaf production fell by almost 19 per cent during the same…
Africa on Monday marked the 24th African Traditional Medicine Day, with the World Health Organization (WHO) calling for increased investment in research, regulation and innovation to strengthen the role of traditional medicine in healthcare delivery. This year’s observance, themed “Reflection on research and development efforts of traditional medicine towards achieving universal health coverage in the…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared Uganda free of Ebola following 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case, marking the end of the country’s latest outbreak. The milestone came after Uganda’s last confirmed patient, an imported case, was discharged from care on July 16, 2026, with no evidence of further transmission linked to the…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued updated temporary recommendations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as authorities intensify efforts to contain an ongoing outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). The recommendations followed the second meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee on the outbreak, held on August 18, 2026, under the International Health Regulations (2005). According to the WHO,…
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have welcomed the allocation of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support efforts to contain the ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved the immediate release…
The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the TYDF Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Health, and State Ministries of Health, has trained 75 frontline health workers in Taraba, Edo, and Enugu States to improve emergency maternal and newborn care. The training focused on lifesaving Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC/CEmONC), equipping…
