Day: April 29, 2022

Luanda- Developing cooperation mechanisms, with a view to promote economic, social and cultural initiatives for poverty eradication and sustainable development is one of the bets of the ministers and responsible for Gender Equality of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), meeting this Friday in Luanda.

That challenge is expressed in the draft resolution on the Promotion of Female Entrepreneurship in CPLP that came out of the VII Ordinary Meeting, taking into account the promotion of economic dynamism and macroeconomic balance.

According to the document, it constitutes concern the inequalities on the basis of gender in the sharing of economic power, which limit the economic empowerment of women and exacerbate the feminization of poverty hampering the sustainable development of countries.

The ministers reaffirmed the need for the established objectives in Axis 10 of the Strategic Plan for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women in CPLP (PECIGEM), on the economic empowerment of women.

The officials also highlighted the vital role that women play as development agents in the CPLP space, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic effect on their physical, economic and social well-being.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Accra – Ghana, the first country in the world to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility, kicked off its vaccination drive on 1 March 2021, making its rollout among the longest-running in Africa. Despite the longevity of its vaccination programme, by the beginning of 2022, less than half of the target population of 20 million people had received at least one vaccine dose and only about 13% were fully vaccinated.

To improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake, in February 2022, Ghana instituted its first National COVID-19 Vaccination Day, building firmly on the foundation of previous National Immunization Days for Polio. The first of the mass vaccination campaigns for COVID-19, dubbed “Operation 2.5 million doses in 5 days” ran from 2 to 6 February. The second campaign kicked off this week, to coincide with African Vaccination Week. The campaign will run until the first week of May, leveraging the commemoration of Child Health Promotion Week, an annual event to bring child health into the spotlight, including childhood immunization.

This is not the first time routine immunization is being run in conjunction with COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana. In response to the confirmed yellow fever outbreak confirmed in November 2021, the country integrated COVID-19 vaccination with yellow fever campaigns in December. Vaccination outreach teams carried the Yellow Fever and COVID-19 vaccines and administered both to eligible people.

COVID-19 vaccination days have led to an increase in doses administered from 9.7 million at the end of January to 13 million at the end of March, representing a 34% increase in the cumulative number of doses.

In the first campaign, over 80% of the set target was met, with around 2 million doses administered. The country aims to administer 2.3 million COVID-19 vaccines by the end of its second campaign.

The mass vaccination campaign included a strong element of risk communication and community engagement, to counter low-risk perception and circulating misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines in communities.

“I was always afraid that the vaccine would cause some damage to my system,” says Jacob Appenteng, from Brekusu, a town near the capital Accra. “But as I kept hearing the announcements in my community and saw how people around me were taking the vaccine, when it came to our neighbourhood, I decided to also go for it.”

Prior to the launch of the campaign, the country undertook several advocacy, communication, and social mobilization activities to generate demand for the vaccine. Information on COVID-19 disease, public health and safety measures such as wearing of face masks, good hand hygiene and physical distancing, and the benefits of taking the COVID-19 vaccine was made available at community information centres and through public address systems in communities. Talk shows were held on radio and television, and information about the campaign was provided at churches and mosques by religious leaders.

On the first day of the campaign, we did not record very good numbers because people were still hesitant,” says Nancy Ampah, a community health nurse in the Nsawam-Adoagyire Municipality of Ghana’s Eastern Region. “But turnout on the subsequent days was high. Even those who took their jabs on the first day became advocates.”

Ghana is one of the 10 countries earmarked for financial and technical support from the global COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, a multi-partner initiative which includes World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, set up to help countries achieve their overall vaccination targets, particularly in high-priority groups.

The partnership’s focus in Ghana is to unlock funding to close the gap for COVID-19 vaccine operations, including its mass vaccination campaigns, that runs into tens of millions. The partnership has already mobilized funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for technical assistance and additional funding is in the pipeline from the World Bank.

“The support from WHO and its partners is timely because the country is poised for success,” says Dr Francis Kasolo, WHO Representative in Ghana. “High vaccination coverage in Ghana will significantly limit transmission chains and in so doing protect communities from COVID-19 infection,” he adds.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Johannesburg, April 29, 2022 – The African Region accounted for 66% of the 303,000 maternal deaths recorded globally in 2017.

To address this situation, WHO in collaboration with UNFPA, UNICEF and partners supports Member States to ensure that all women and girls have access to quality and timely health services, particularly during pregnancy, childbirth, and after delivery, leaving no one behind.

« Most maternal deaths in the Region are attributable to five main causes: haemorrhage, pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders, unsafe abortion, infection, and obstructed labour. Of these, complications of haemorrhage and hypertension account for almost 50% of deaths,” said Dr. Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative in South Africa.

Furthermore, unsafe abortion is responsible for 16% of all maternal deaths, with variations across countries depending on the level of restrictions to abortion.

One of the main roles of WHO/AFRO is to produce, disseminate and monitor the implementation of global guidelines and standards that are adapted to the regional context.

In this context, WHO/AFRO is developing the Regional Accelerated Plan of Action to end all preventable maternal mortality due to Postpartum Haemorrhage and Pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia. In addition, WHO/AFRO is updating the 2012 regional Agenda for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), a strategic document aimed to ensure universal access to proven effective and quality SRHR services using the most effective and appropriate delivery systems.

“One thing we need to look at is the skills of our health workers. People need to know how to repair a simple episiotomy wound and many other lacerations. We need to ensure that we have skilled and conscious clinicians.” said Dr. Manala Makua, chief director of women’s, maternal and reproductive health at the National Department of Health South Africa

From April 27 to 29, 2022, a meeting was held in Johannesburg, where these three strategic documents were presented and discussed with representatives of 15 Member States, UNFPA, UNICEF, SIDA and SRHR partners namely professional associations, Population Council, Members of the WHO/AFRO regional Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Technical Advisory Group (RMNCAH-TAG).

The purpose of the meeting was to build consensus on the SRHR Agenda and the RAPA and discuss the effective implementation of the WHO Abortion Care guideline in countries in alignment with national law.

“It is my privilege to say that gradually we are seeing the global leaders’ committing and join hands in responding to the agenda of SRHR. Make sure you utilize this opportunity to the

maximum,” said Dr. Manala Makua to the participants, insisting on innovating and thinking about ways to accelerate and rethink actions for African populations’ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

Richard Delate, Programme Specialist SRH/HIV, United Nations Population Fund East, and Southern Africa Regional Office, also advised the participants.

“As we consider issues relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights over the next few days, let us also take into consideration that the gains we make are not only dependent on the health system but require that we foreground the rights dimension of sexual and reproductive health.” he said.

Dr. Christina Sadia, member of the WHO/AFRO RMNCAH-TAG participated in the meeting.

“I think the structural barriers are contributing to a lot of issues that we are seeing. And, the disparities and equities issues need to be addressed. As we talk about leaving no one behind, we need to have a general whole so that our universal coverage and pushing up our accelerated implementation plans can then make a reality and hopefully we can catch up to win the SDGs.” she said.

Dr. Lwazi Manzi, Head of Secretariat of the African Union (AU) Commission on Covid-19 was in attendance. She was really pleased to be part of the meeting.

“It is an immense privilege to participate in this timely conference that brings the issue of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services to the top of the regional agenda. Through his Covid-19 Championship, President Cyril Ramaphosa tabled a report to the AU on strategies to tackle the attrition of SRHR services during the Covid-19 pandemic. As secretariat we are excited that we are not only aligned with partners like the WHO, but that the Covid-19 commission is in a strategic position to keep the agenda alive at the highest level of the AU political structures. We look forward to continue fostering respectful partnerships as we are called upon by Africa’s New Public Health Order.” she stated.

The recommendations of the meeting will help to tackle maternal mortality in the African Region so that no women should die while giving birth and no violence against women and girls should be tolerated on the continent.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Brazzaville – World Health Organization (WHO) has released US$ 8.3 million from its Contingency Funding for Emergencies to assist the 10.6 million people in need of emergency health services in the Sahel region.

Humanitarian agencies and governments estimate that 33.2 million people are grappling with the devastating impacts of armed conflict, insecurity, food insecurity and displacement in the Sahel.

The funds will help deliver crucial health services to populations living in displacement camps and sites as well as those affected by disease outbreaks across six countries in the region. In Burkina Faso, around 500 000 people have been displaced by armed violence in 2021. In Mali, a quarter of health services are still disrupted due to the impact of COVIID-19. Cameroon is grappling with a cholera outbreak., while Chad is facing a yellow fever outbreak.

WHO will work to improve treatment of malnutrition in Burkina Faso; strengthen cholera diagnostics in Cameroon; provide essential services to 100 000 people in Chad; deploy psychologists to all 10 regions in Mali; equip and train four outbreak response teams in Niger; and re-establish services in two hospitals in north-east Nigeria, which provide services to some 300 000 people.

“Armed conflict and increasingly worsening impacts of climate change are exerting untold hardship on millions of children, women, families and even entire communities across the Sahel. We are committed to providing crucial health assistance to the affected populations and help ease the deep deprivations they are facing,” said Dr Abdou Salam Gueye, the Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response at WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Health indicators in the Sahel are among the worst in the world. The region has some of the highest maternal mortality rates globally at 856 deaths per 100 000 live births due to poor access to maternal and reproductive health care as well as a high prevalence of early marriage.

Armed attacks against civilians and public infrastructure—including health facilities and schools —droughts, land degradation and unpredictable weather are exacerbating the plight of millions of people in the Sahel.

Conflict and insecurity are a major barrier to delivering humanitarian assistance. These challenges hinder WHO teams and partners from delivering essential medicines, engage communities in public health programmes such as water and sanitation services, distribution of bed nets and basic childhood vaccinations.

Despite the dire needs and the urgency to deliver assistance to millions of people in need in Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, Chad, north-east Nigeria, Mali and Niger, only half of the US$ 3.7 billion needed to provide life-saving assistance in the region was received in 2021.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

– Pandemic-related disruptions, increasing inequalities in access to vaccines, and the COVID-19-related diversion of resources from routine immunization are leaving too many children without protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. As Botswana joins the world in celebrating World Immunization Week and the historic achievements through vaccines, the country needs to urgently turn the spotlight to routine immunization against common childhood diseases, such as measles.

In Botswana, as in many other countries, access to health and vaccination services has been affected by the pandemic. In 2021, the vaccination rate for children under 1 year dropped for all antigens used in routine immunization. When routine vaccinations are missed, the risk of disease outbreaks increases. Movement restrictions during the height of the pandemic, the need to refocus human and financial resources toward COVID-19 prevention and response and the significant strain on health structures by COVID-19 have contributed to this situation.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted immunization services, health systems have been overwhelmed, the impact of these disruptions to immunization services will be felt for decades to come,” said Dr Joan Matji, UNICEF Representative. “Now is the moment to get essential immunization back on track and launch catch-up campaigns so that everybody can have access to these life-saving vaccines.”

“While the pandemic created a disruption of several public health services in Botswana, including routine immunization, it also provided the opportunity to strengthen health systems areas, such as the cold chain and human resources for better service delivery“added Dr Josephine Namboze, WHO Country Representative. WHO advocates for vaccines providing the opportunity and hope for all of us to enjoy a more fulfilling life.

As countries work to respond to vaccine-preventable diseases and recover lost ground, UNICEF and WHO, along with partners are supporting efforts to strengthen immunization systems by:

• Supporting the government to rectify gaps in immunization coverage, including identifying communities and people who have been missed during the pandemic;

• Ensuring that COVID-19 vaccine delivery is well-integrated into overall planning for immunization services so that it is not carried out at the cost of childhood and other vaccination services;

• Supporting the country’s plans to prevent and respond to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and strengthening immunization systems as part of COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Eritrea in a high-profile event celebrated the launch of four strategic documents: The National Health Sector Strategic Development Plan 2022-26 (HSSDP III) and its Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, the Essential Health Care Package (2021), and the National Action Plan for Health Security 2022-26 (NAPHS) on 28 April 2022. The launch event was attended by the senior officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Land Water and Environment, Ministry of Finance and National Development, and the Ministry of Local Government among others. In addition, there was a high-level representation from the United Nations family including the UN Resident Coordinator, the WHO Representative, the UNICEF Representative and the UNFPA Representative.

In her key note address the Minister of Health, Honorable Amina Nurhussien described that the documents launched are important costed tools that will guide the country to achieve the aspirations of the Eritrean people to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). She noted that through the strong Primary Health Care (PHC) base Eritrea has made remarkable progress in the health sector since 1991 and achieved the health MDGs. She indicated that this is a strong foundation to achieve SDG 3. The Honorable Minister informed the participants that the HSSDP III was designed to provide all strategic guidance for 5 years and contributes to the socio-economic growth of the country while the Essential Health Coverage (EHCP) will guide the provision of health services at all levels of the health facilities and the NAPHS will be the guiding document for health emergencies. She thanked all the MOH personnel and the partners including WHO for their commitment and contribution to the formulation of these documents. Finally, she asked all Government officials and partners to be committed to the implementation of these strategic documents to make a difference.

The HSSDP III was developed with technical support from the WHO/AFRO and WHO Country office. The plan is based on the primary health care principles and the strategic objectives specified are also in line with the National Health Policy priorities and are aimed at achieving SDG 3 targets and Universal Health Package. The Essential Health Care Package (EHCP) is key for the HSSDP III implementation because it clearly outlines the services that are expected to be delivered at each level of the health system to ensure UHC and SDG 3 achievement. It comprehensively defines the interventions that people of each age cohort need for their health and wellbeing. The National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) is an important document for contributing to the resilience of the health system. Some of the key points to note are that it is critical to strengthen the implementation of Internal Health Regulations and Health Security.

During the launching ceremony, the Heads of Agency for the UN partners working in the health sector congratulated the Minister of Health for the development of these documents and pledged their support for the implementation of these documents because they are important for the development of the country and the achievement of SDG 3 and Universal Health Coverage. They emphasized that it will be important to ensure that there is an effective monitoring for the implementation of the documents and SDGs at all levels. The WHO Representative supported by the UN Resident Coordinator called for more Government flexibility for the implementation of the launched plans.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Abuja, 29 April 2022 – Feeling feverish with body pains, 25 years old Blessing Musa sat patiently in the waiting room of Kuchingoro Primary Health Care Centre, in Abuja Municipal Area Council, anxious for the result of her blood test from the laboratory.

Ms Musa had consulted with a doctor, who asked for a malaria test, and the result came out in less than 30 minutes positive for malaria.

“I came to this health centre because my friend recommended it. She said the turnaround time for malaria tests is short, and as you can see, it is true.

I have been feeling unwell and don’t want to do self-medication. With this result, I can now confidently treat my ailment without guessing,” said Ms Musa.

Malaria spreads to humans through the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito. Although preventable and curable, it can be life-threatening if not treated on time and laboratory tests are useful for diagnosing the disease.

“We use the Rapid Test Diagnosis (RDTs) kit for malaria screening; it has improved the turnaround time for malaria diagnosis. We attend to an average of 15 malaria tests a day, and patients appreciate it because of the low waiting time. The RDTs are equally as good as microscopic diagnosis, said Abdullahi Musa Rabiu, an intern Laboratory technician at the Kuchigoro PHC

With malaria still one of the deadliest diseases globally, no single tool is available to solve the problem. Nigeria has made remarkable progress in malaria control efforts over the years but still among the top high burden countries and one of the two epi-centres of malaria transmission across the globe.

In line with the World Health Organization Global Malaria Programme (GMP), guided by the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, which aims at reducing malaria case incidence by at least 90% by 2030, Nigeria has been harnessing innovations to reduce the burden of the disease and save lives in the country.

Supporting innovative testing in the Northeast

Through concerted efforts, WHO supports the government of Nigeria at federal and states level and partners in malaria programme implementation across the country.

For instance, in the North- East, WHO is working with the states to roll out plans of action through the state malaria elimination program (SMEP), to address challenges related to diagnosis, treatment and surveillance for malaria, enhance early detection and improve case management in line with national strategic plans and guidelines.

In Borno State, the WHO partnered with National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Global Fund, Germany & USAID, supported the State Ministry of Health to train 225 healthcare workers, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, laboratory scientists & technicians and community health workers across 59 functional health facilities on improving malaria diagnostic testing, treatment, documentation and surveillance.

Donations of malaria RDT kits and drugs amounting to 594 malaria module Integrated Emergency Health Kit (IHEK)were made available to the state after the training.

Also, WHO has been supporting the NMEP to improve malaria surveillance, drugs, and insecticide monitoring, while advancing towards its goal to achieve a parasite prevalence of less than 10% and reduce mortality attributable to malaria to less than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2025.

Optimizing WMD for other public health intervention

Meanwhile, as part of activities to commemorate 2022 World Malaria Day (WMD), WHO supported states across the country to raise awareness on the ways of preventing and treatment of the disease.

In Ekiti State, southwest Nigeria, the government supported by WHO took advantage of the WMD sensitization campaign to shore-up COVID-19 vaccination.

To create demand for COVID-19 vaccination, the State Team utilized the WMD activities as entry points to reach populations at risk.

“To make the COVID-19 vaccine attractive, the state employed demand-side interventions such as distribution of nets, sensitization meetings to lead to significant gains in vaccination. We intend to continue integrating malaria elimination activities to address other health interventions to risk populations such as pregnant women”, Dr Fatiregun, the WHO State Coordinator said.

Also, in Ogun and Ondo, WHO supported the State Ministry of Health and partners to commemorate the WMD through sensitization campaigns on malaria testing and the use of Insecticide-treated nets to reduce suffering and deaths from the disease. Free malaria testing was also conducted for residents of the two states.

The WHO commemorates World Malaria Day on 25 April every year to raise awareness of the burden of the disease and underscore the collective energy and commitment of the global malaria community in uniting around the common goal of a world free of malaria. This year, WHO is highlighting the critical role of innovation in the fight against malaria, “Harness innovation to reduce the global malaria disease burden and save lives.”

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Mountainous and remote, the Greek-Bulgaria border once formed the southern corner of the Iron Curtain. Today, it’s where the European Union is redrawing the region’s energy map to ease its heavy reliance on Russian natural gas.

A new pipeline — built during the COVID-19 pandemic, tested and due to start commercial operation in June — would ensure that large volumes of gas flow between the two countries in both directions to generate electricity, fuel industry and heat homes.

The energy link takes on greater importance following Moscow’s decision this week to cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over a demand for payments in rubles stemming from Western sanctions over the war of Ukraine.

The 180-kilometer (110-mile) pipeline project is the first of several planned gas interconnectors that would give eastern European Union members and countries hoping to join the 27-nation bloc access to the global gas market.

In the short term, it’s Bulgaria’s backup.

The new pipeline connection, called the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, will give the country access to ports in neighboring Greece that are importing liquefied natural gas, or LNG, and also will bring gas from Azerbaijan through a new pipeline system that ends in Italy.

It’s one of many efforts as EU members scramble to edit their energy mixes, with some reverting back to emissions-heavy coal while also planning expanded output from renewables.

Germany, the world’s biggest buyer of Russian energy, is looking to build LNG import terminals that would take years. Italy, another top Russian gas importer, has reached deals with Algeria, Azerbaijan, Angola and Congo for gas supplies.

The European Union wants to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas by two-thirds this year and to eliminate it completely over five years through alternative sources, the use of wind and solar power, and conservation.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to accelerate changes in the EU’s long-term strategy as the bloc adapts to energy that is more expensive but also more integrated among member nations, said Simone Tagliapietra, an energy expert at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

“It’s a new world,” he said. “And in this new world, it’s clear that Russia doesn’t want to be part of an international order as we think of it.”

Tagliapietra added: “The strategy — particularly by Germany — over the last 50 years was always one of engaging with Russia on energy. … But given what we are seeing in Ukraine and given Russia’s view of international relations, it’s not the kind of country with which we would like to do business.”

EU policymakers argue that while Eastern European members are among the most dependent on Russian gas, the size of their markets makes the problem manageable. Bulgaria imported 90% of its gas from Russia but only consumes 3 billion cubic meters annually — 30 times less than lead consumer Germany, according to 2020 data from EU statistics agency Eurostat.

The Greece-Bulgaria pipeline will complement the existing European network, much of which dates to the Soviet era, when Moscow sought badly needed funds for its faltering economy and Western suppliers to help build its pipelines.

The link will run between the northeastern Greek city of Komotini and Stara Zagora, in central Bulgaria, and will give Bulgaria and neighbors with new grid connections access to the expanding global gas market.

That includes a connection with the newly built Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which carries gas from Azerbaijan, and suppliers of liquefied natural gas that arrives by ship, likely to include Qatar, Algeria and the United States.

As many as eight additional interconnectors could be built in Eastern Europe, reaching as far as Ukraine and Austria.

The 240 million-euro ($250 million) pipeline will carry 3 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with an option to be expanded to 5 billion. It received funding from Bulgaria, Greece and the EU, and has strong political support from Brussels and the United States.

On the ground, the project faced multiple holdups because of supply chain snags during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Receiving specialized parts and moving personnel after construction got underway in early 2020 soon became increasingly difficult, said Antonis Mitzalis, executive director of Greek contractor AVAX, which oversaw the project.

Construction of the pipeline finished in early April, he said, while work and testing at two metering stations and software installation are in the final stages.

“We had a sequence in mind. But the fact that some materials did not arrive made us rework that sequence, sometimes with a cost effect,” Mitzalis said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis missed a tour of the site last month after contracting COVID-19. He spoke Wednesday with his Bulgarian counterpart, Kiril Petkov, to provide assurances of Greek support.

“Bulgaria and Greece will continue to work together for energy security and diversification — of strategic importance for both countries and the region,” Petkov later tweeted. “We both are confident for the successful completion of the IGB on time.”

Source: Voice Of America