Category: Medical & Health

Ethiopia launched a polio vaccination campaign with type 2 novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) targeting over 17 million under-five children aiming to end the circulation of vaccine-derived poliovirus. The campaign was officially launched by the Ministry of Health and polio partners in Hawassa, Sidama, alongside the commemoration of World Polio Day with the theme, “One Day. One Focus: Ending Polio: Delivering on the promise of a polio-free world”.

Speaking on behalf of WHO and UNICEF, Deputy WHO Representative in Ethiopia Dr Rose-Mary Nonhlanhla Dlamini underscored the need to ensure that every child everywhere in Ethiopia is vaccinated. She called on vaccinators to work with extra diligence, and on parents and caregivers to present their children for vaccinations.

During the event, Ms. Tsinukal Melkamu, a polio survivor shared her story of living with polio and expressed her hope that no other children will face the challenges she faced because of polio. Ms. Tsinukal was also presented with a letter of thanks from the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, for sharing her life experience at the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in August 2021.

In 2020, the WHO Africa Region was certified wild polio-free but vaccine-derived poliovirus still continues to circulate in under-served communities.

In a bid to ensure all forms of polio are eradicated, the GPEI has introduced the novel OPV type two (nOPV2) vaccine as a critical new tool in the fight against circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).

With the launch of nOPV2 vaccine, Ethiopia joins five other frontrunner countries, Benin, Congo Republic, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone that have already introduced the vaccine.

State Minister of Health, Honorable Dr Dereje Duguma urged health workers, partners, religious leaders, parents, caregivers, and other stakeholders to support this campaign. “We each must do our part to ensure that all under-five children are vaccinated,” He further reminded vaccinators and communities to be mindful of COVID-19 prevention measures as nOPV2 vaccines are being administered. WHO and UNICEF supported the government on the groundwork to fulfill the readiness criteria for nOPV2 introduction, and in planning this nationwide campaign including the development of all campaign preparedness and implementation tools and guidelines, providing budget and training on various aspects of the campaign and post-campaign activities and by deploying more than 100 technical experts to regions and zones to support monitoring and supervision during implementation of the campaign.

The Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, and other polio partners reaffirmed their collective commitment to deliver on the promise of a polio-free Ethiopia and polio-free world for current and future generations.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Luanda – Angolan health authorities announced last Monday the recovery of 403 patients, 170 new cases and six deaths in the last 24 hours.

According to the daily report, among those recovered, with age ranging from 2 to 78 years old, 251 are from Luanda, 97 from Benguela, 28 from Cuando Cubango, 21 from Huila, 4 from Namibe and 2 from Cunene.

New cases were reported in Luanda (112), Huambo (22), Benguela (16), Zaire (6), Cabinda (5), Cuando Cubango (5), Malanje and Huíla with 2 cases each. With ages between 3 months and 73 years, 102 are men and 68 female.

The deaths occurred in the provinces of Luanda with 5 and 1 in Huambo.

Angola has so far totaled 63,012 infections, 1,670 deaths, 51,029 recoveries and 10,313 active patients.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Addis-Abeba – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, this Thursday praised the action of the African Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) in assisting member states in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic .

Esmeralda Mendonça, who heads the Angolan delegation participating in the 39th session of the Executive Council of the African Union, recognized the CDC’s leadership in responding to the pandemic and the strategic importance of its role in dealing with future outbreaks.

The official advocated the full and timely operationalization of the CDC and supported efforts to strengthen its legal capacity, allowing this AU institution to timely identify disease outbreaks, quickly characterize their nature, determine the potential risk to the continent and contribute to a harmonized and coordinated response with sectors other than health.

Esmeralda Mendonça expressed satisfaction with the presence of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in this difficult juncture in which the Covid-19 pandemic and its health, social, economic and financial consequences are going through the world.

The official welcomed the action of the Permanent Representatives Committee (COREP) on the proposed budget for 2022, and supported the conclusions contained in the report of the 42nd ordinary session.

However, Esmeralda Mendonça expressed concern about the recurrent extension of the mandate of the Committee of Ten Experts for Recruitment (R10), due to its financial implications, and suggested that the referred committee should finish its work in July 2022.

Regarding the theme of the African Union for next year, 2022, referring to nutrition and food security, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs described it as a problem that invites reflection on how to obtain practical results, leading to the creation of better living conditions for the populations.

He underlined that malnutrition is one of the great challenges facing Africa, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, affecting the most vulnerable strata of the population, made up mostly of women, children and youth, representing a serious risk to the continent’s future .

“We consider it important to implement the recommendations of the global program for the development of agriculture in Africa (CAADP) and the Malabo declaration, to strengthen agricultural production and food security programs,” added Esmeralda Mendonça.

Esmeralda Mendonça pointed out the need to adapt the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, whose commissioner is the Angolan Josefa Sacko, to play a leading role in that process, mobilizing will and resources to achieve the objectives of the Theme of the year 2022.

The 39th session of the AU Executive Council is scheduled to close on Friday, 15th, the day on which Angola is expected to intervene, through Esmeralda Mendonça.

The Angolan delegation is also made up of the Ambassador to Ethiopia and Representative to the African Union, Francisco José da Cruz, and diplomatic officials.

Source: Angola Press Agency

Huambo – Two hundred and 24 thousand and 861 citizens of the province of Huambo have already been vaccinated against Covid-19, corresponding to 23.67 percent of the total estimated population.

It is expected to vaccinate 950,000 citizens out of a total of 1 million 104,000 and 364 citizens over 18 years of age, according to the head of the local department of Public Health, Celestino Máquina.

Although the figure is below what is desired, the local health authorities have a positive balance, judging by the significant participation of the population in the installed posts.

The official said that the number of citizens who flock to vaccination posts installed in all municipalities is growing, with a daily average of over five thousand.

As for the 224,000 and 861 vaccinated, he said that they were immunized with the first and second doses of Astrazeneca, Sinopharm and Pfizer and with a single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

Celestino Máquina ensured that there is a stock of over 310,000 doses of Pfizer and Sinopharm vaccines available for the continuation of the campaign in the coming days, having therefore urged the population to flock to the vaccination posts.

The official referred that the authorities are creating strategies to increase more posts, with the aim of responding to the demand.

Source: Angola Press Agency