Brazzaville, Congo | Xinhua | Just five African countries, less than 10 percent of Africa’s 54 nations, are projected to hit the year-end target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of their people, said the World Health Organization (WHO)on Thursday. Three African countries, including Seychelles, Mauritius and Morocco, have already met the …
Read More »WHO urges vaccination for health workers as over 115,000 have died
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to prioritize vaccination for health workers in the light of its new paper estimating that 115,000 died of coronavirus between January 2020 and May 2021. Although data from 119 countries suggests that on average two in five health …
Read More »Health workers asked to embrace Covid-19 vaccination to curb infections
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health workers have been asked to embrace Covid-19 vaccination to protect themselves against Covid-19 infections. The call was made by health officials during the 19th Dr Matthew Lukwiya Memorial Lecture, held on Thursday at the Guide University Project in Kampala. Dr Lukyiwa was the former …
Read More »DR Congo reports three new Ebola cases: WHO
Kinshasa, DRC | Xinhua | Three new cases of Ebola virus disease have been confirmed by health officials in the northeastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), five months after the end of a previous Ebola outbreak in the same province, the World Health Organization (WHO) …
Read More »China’s first domestic HPV vaccine earns WHO prequalification
Xiamen, China | Xinhua | China’s first self-developed HPV vaccine Cecolin has gained prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO), its developer said. The move indicates that the WHO has given the vaccine its stamp of approval in safety and efficacy, and United Nations procuring agencies may now source it, according …
Read More »Despite COVID-19, hand washing still a problem for 3 in 10 people
In Uganda, access to hand washing with soap at household level stands at 38% in rural areas Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Around three in 10 people still do not have hand washing facilities with water and soap available at home although hand washing with soap is critical in the …
Read More »Safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene needed more than ever in Africa
Time has come to highlight that adequate water, sanitation and hygiene are essential components of basic preventive health services as these are primary drivers of public health COMMENT | By Fatima Maada Bio | Access to handwashing with soap is a foundational component of healthy schools. Good hygiene practices help ensure …
Read More »Groundbreaking malaria vaccine
Historic RTS,S/AS01 recommendation can reinvigorate the fight against malaria | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organisation (WHO) is recommending widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission. The P. falciparum is the …
Read More »WHO experts back booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to moderately and severely immunocompromised people. After four days of talks last week, the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended that such people …
Read More »Worldwide failure to invest in mental health during pandemic: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) points to a global failure to provide people with the mental health services they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Published on Friday, the triennial WHO Mental Health Atlas shows data from 171 countries, and highlights that despite …
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