Cotonou, 3 November 2014 – Countries in the WHO African Region have made progress in improving the health of the people in the past decade, but much remains to be done. This is highlighted in a report released today in Cotonou at the meeting of the 47 health ministers and high ranking health officials from the WHO African Region.  

In the report entitled: A Decade of WHO action in the African Region, 2005–2014 – Striving together to achieve health goals, countries in the Region are called upon to ensure that health is at the centre of devel-opment. It underscores the importance of placing priority on improving the performance of health systems, scaling up of cost effective interventions, adequate allocation and effective use of resources, along with improved access to quality health services.

Improved access and care to maternal and newborn health

The report notes that infant mortality rate has reduced from 80 in 2005 to 63 per 1000 in 2012. The under-five mortality rate has also declined from 129 in 2005 to 95 per 1000 in 2012, and maternal mortality ratio from 670 in 2005 to 500 deaths per 100 000 live births. With the support of WHO and other partners, child survival in the Region has steadily improved and 15 countries are now on track to reach MDG 4, compared to only 5 in 2006. Similarly, 37 countries improved emergency obstetric care and 29 others included maternal death surveillance and response in the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR), making it easier to effectively monitor and respond to this tragic issue. 

“We must, however, challenge ourselves to do more. We cannot afford to be complacent in the face of the changing global dynamics and trends. That is why progress has to be accelerated, and efforts intensified and targeted at those most at risk and facing the greatest barriers, such as financial and geographic, to accessing health services,” says  Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO in the Report’s foreword.

The report, which spans the past decade, highlights some key areas where progress has been made.

Tackling vaccine preventable diseases

Mass vaccination activities against vaccine preventable diseases reached more than 600 million children in 43 countries between 2001 and 2013, resulting in 84% reduction in the estimated number of measles deaths in the African Region. The introduction of the MenAfriVac conjugate vaccine, in 2010 led to more than 153 million people in 12 countries within the African Meningitis belt being vaccinated, and there have been no confirmed cases of meningitis A among those populations since then. One country remains endemic for polio virus.

Neglected Tropical Diseases

The African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) has freed millions of people from the scourge of river blindness, and the program’s mandate has been expanded to control elephantiasis and other neglect-ed tropical diseases (NTDs) for the period 2016–2020. 

Reduction in HIV/AIDS and TB infections

There was a 26 percent reduction in new HIV infections between 2005 and 2012, and 34 percent fewer peo-ple died from AIDS related conditions during the same period. By the end of 2012, there was a significant reduction in new HIV infections among children – 470 000 in 2005, compared to 260 000 in 2012. Voluntary male circumcision, a proven HIV prevention method, had also increased on a massive scale, leaping from just 21 000 in 2008 to over 3 million being carried out in 2012. Efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat tuberculosis and malaria led to a 62% decrease in malaria deaths and 39% decrease in incidence respectively.

Noncommunicable diseases

According to the report, efforts to tackle smoking, which is one of the most preventable causes of NCDs, have shown commendable progress. In 2005, only 9 countries had ratified the 2003 WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which calls for a total ban on tobacco advertising. By June 2014, 42 Member States had ratified the WHO FCTC, 27 had banned smoking in public places and tobacco advertising, and 33 required that cigarette packaging carry health warnings.

Reforming and strengthening national health systems

In the area of health systems strengthening, the report says that WHO assisted countries to develop new health strategies to support countries to reform their national health systems. This contributed to the strengthening of district health systems and improved the quality of health interventions. The number of countries with comprehensive national health policies increased from 31 to 44 between 2005 and 2009. The support also contributed to a more rational use of domestic funds and the mobilisation of external resources to tackle national health priorities. 

WHO created the African Health Workforce Observatory and African Health Observatory to inform policy dialogue and decision making and so far thirteen countries have established national observatories. Countries were supported to develop a rapid alert system to detect substandard/spurious/falsely labelled/falsified and counterfeit medical products (SSFFC). So far, notifications from African countries and the investigations that followed have led to important alerts about the circulation of fake anti-malarial products in West and Central Africa.

Strengthening partnerships for health

On the subject of partnerships, the report points out the Harmonization for Health in Africa (HHA) partnership initiated by WHO in 2006 serves as a unique platform to harmonize strategies and actions among the 16 health development partners to support country-led health development efforts.

Ebola outbreak in West Africa

The report draws attention to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in some countries of West Africa. WHO’s response includes, among others: high level advocacy for accelerating the response to the outbreak, deployment of technical experts in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak to provide support, mobilization of partners, development of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak response plans, resource mobilization, and the establishment of the Sub Regional Ebola Coordinating Center (SEOCC). WHO continues to give highest priority to the control of the ongoing outbreak in the affected areas and strengthening preparedness in unaffected countries. 

Progress towards the attainment of the MDGs

The report concludes with a call by Dr Luis Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa, for an ambitious and aspirational health-specific goal in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. He stresses the importance of attaining the MDGs, embracing emerging priorities such as NCDs and mental health, adding that: “We should also consider a goal that will allow every stage of life – child, adolescence, adult and old age ‒ to receive focused attention”.

View/ download the report: A Decade of WHO action in the African Region, 2005–2014 – Striving together to achieve health goals
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For further information contact: 

C. Boakye-Agyemang  
Tel: +4724139174  
Email: boakyeagyemangc [at] who.int