News Releases | Sixtieth Session of the WHO Regional Committee

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) 3 September 2010 -- The sixtieth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa ended on Friday in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, after adopting five resolutions aimed at improving the health situation in the African Region.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), 2 September 2010 — The use of counterfeit medical products is a global public health problem. Illegitimate distribution and rampant use of substandard, spurious, falsely labelled, falsified and/or counterfeit medical products lead to loss of confidence in health systems, health professionals, pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) 1 September 2010 -- WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has proposed the establishment of a US$100 million African Public Health Emergency Fund (APHEF) to be financed from agreed appropriations and voluntary contributions from Member States.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) 1 September 2010 -- WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has proposed measures for tackling epidemics which are recurrent in Africa, posing continuing and serious health threats to people in the Region.

The Regional Director’s proposals revolve around three key actions that countries should take in checking the phenomenon: early detection, confirmation and characterization of epidemic and pandemic threats; actual prevention of epidemics; and improved epidemic preparedness and response capacity.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) 1 September 2010 -- “There is a real danger that funding for health development in the African Region might be adversely affected by the ongoing global financial crisis and thereby compromise any ongoing national and international efforts in many countries to realize the Millennium Development Goals”.

This assessment is contained in a report by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, to the 60th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Malabo 31 August 2010 -- The sixtieth session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa World Health Organization opened in Malabo on Monday with a call by President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea to Member States to prioritize maternal health because “ women are the back bone of the family in Africa.”

Malabo, 31 August 2010 -- The World Health Organization has proposed a strategy to prevent or at least reduce the harmful use of alcohol and related problems in the African Region.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) 30 August 2010 -- Significant progress has been made in immunization coverage and efforts to eradicate polio in the African Region, but challenges remain and immediate remedial actions need to be taken.

This assessment of the status of routine immunization and polio eradication efforts in the African Region is contained in a technical document being discussed today by the 60th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place from 30 August to 3 September in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), 30 August 2010 -- African countries have been urged to embrace and use e-Health -- defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the cost-effective and secure use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health and health–related fields - with a view to contributing to strengthening their health systems and improving health outcomes.

Brazzaville/Malabo, 27 August 2010 -- The sixtieth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa will take place from 30 August to 3 September in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) 31 August 2010 – WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has urged countries in the Region to take concrete steps to check the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR – TB) and extensively resistant TB (XDR-TB), high priority TB complications which continue to pose serious health threats to people in the African Region.