Category: Medical & Health

Yaoundé – Local leaders, working with over 2300 community mobilizers and 1450 vaccination teams, were crucial to the success of a rapid COVID-19 vaccination drive that saw 52 000 people vaccinated across Cameroon in just five days in July.

Community leader Jean Calvin Nama-Ntse works to build trust in COVID-19 vaccines in the Nkomassia and Nkolbisson communities in the capital Yaoundé. A life-long community member, he is a traditional Chief, Chairman of the Nkolbisson Health District and Chairman of the Management Committee at Nkolbisson’s Integrated Health Centre.

Tell us about the communities you work with?

Here in northern Yaoundé we have both rural and urban areas. We have more than 80 000 people that come from across Cameroon and other African countries like Mali, the Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Central African Republic. With a mix of different religions, we respect the right to worship freely. We’re not a rich community and most people live off small businesses or informal trading.

What are the biggest challenges in fighting COVID-19 and demand for vaccines?

Our population is quite young and although we are generally well informed, not everyone is aware of all the risks from COVID-19, so not everyone sticks to the prevention measures or are keen to get vaccinated.

Despite the flood of information on COVID-19, there is still fear, doubt and scepticism around vaccination. Rumours and misinformation spreading on social media and dreamed up by certain people sow doubt and reluctance to get vaccinated, which leaves people at greater risk.

What are the key lessons from your work?

In my experience, people who have had the disease or seen others suffer with it are far more aware of the risks and are much keener to get vaccinated. If we use more of these people as educators I’m sure they will raise the uptake of vaccines.

Also, when leaders get vaccinated in public other people follow, especially big media personalities, artists and religious leaders. As a community leader I made a point of getting vaccinated in public.

Putting vaccination points in public spaces like markets, at crossroads or near churches also builds confidence in the community and leads to more people coming for vaccination.

Tell us about the support you received from WHO and partners?

I joined workshops on how to mobilize communities and to advocate and access more resources for immunization campaigns. These were run by the Ministry of Public Health, with

the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

I also joined City Council meetings led by District Health Officers. These help us raise demand for COVID-19 vaccines in our communities. About 300 people have been covered by these trainings so far and more are planned for this year.

From these we learned to work more closely in our communities, giving talks on COVID-19 and the need for vaccination in local markets and public spaces. We’ve visited families to speak intimately with them. We’ve given talks to local associations and worked with local media. We’ve also worked with religious leaders and local government authorities on spreading prevention messages as they are trusted and people listen to them.

These days I only use information from trustworthy sources, including from the government, WHO and of course from my own life experience.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Abuja, 17 September, 2022 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated its continuous support to the the Government of Nigeria in its goal of achieving self-sufficiency in the local production of traditional medicine.

Speaking at the commemoration of the 2021 Traditional Medicine Day held at the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja on 13 September, Dr Kofi Boateng said WHO remains committed to continue with the support to the Government of Nigeria in its goal of achieving self-sufficiency in the local production of pharmaceuticals (including Vaccines), traditional medicine and other health products.

Emphasising the importance of African Traditional Medicine in the development of the health sector, Dr Boateng, representing the WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo said that Africa has a long history of traditional medicines and practitioners that play an important role in providing care to populations over centuries.

The theme of 2021 commemoration is “The potential contribution of Traditional Medicine to COVID-19 Response.” Dr Boateng said Nigeria’s listing of 14 herbal medicinal products by NAFDAC against COVID-19 and ongoing clinical trials on them, is in line with the Regional Expert Committee on COVID-19 aim of elevating the standards of clinical trials of traditional medicine for COVID-19.

“The ongoing scientific research projects in the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research & Development and other higher institutions, highlights the interest of the Government of Nigeria to develop and promote African Traditional Medicines. These are in line with the theme of this year commemoration; The potential contribution of Traditional Medicine to COVID-19 Response.

WHO Nigeria has taken it up to support the ministry and in particular the department of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, Complimentary in the review of the Traditional Medicines Policy 2007, review of the Nigeria Pharmacopoeia 2008 and the development of a 5-year strategic plan to implement the new policy and the revised pharmacopoeia. It will also continue to provide technical assistance to the TCAM department, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and NAFDAC in improving the quality of medicinal products and ensure the listing of these products in the National Essential Medicines List, he said

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Health Dr Adeleke Mamora at the media briefing said the Federal government will not relent in its efforts to develop local content as a means to finding a homegrown solution to ailment affecting Nigerians.

Dr Mamora said one of the tasked assigned to the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research & Development (NIPRD)and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control(NAFDAC) is to scale up their activities towards the search for a local solution to the pandemic.

He further stated that “FMoH has inaugurated an expert committee as a protocol of evaluation of herbal medicinal products as a way of promoting research and a database of traditional medicine practitioners has been developed for ease of collaboration, research and promotion of traditional medicine in Nigeria.”

“The federal government is also working on a traditional medicine policy and a committee to set up a traditional medicine institute which was triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Monrovia, September 2021 – The report of the second assessment of the prevalence and distribution of HIV, Syphilis and Viral Hepatitis among key and vulnerable populations in Liberia was launched on Friday, September 10, 2021 in Monrovia.

The observational cross-sectional study, conducted in 10 of the 15 counties in Liberia, used mixed methods sampling methodology, targeting female sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender, injecting drug users, inmates, long distance transport workers, mobile traders, uniformed service personnel, and gold and diamond miners.

Presenting key findings of the survey, Mr. Janjay M. Jones, Deputy Program Manager for Monitoring and Evaluation at the National AIDS Control Program said the primary reason for conducting the IBBSS is to determine the level of knowledge, perceptions, beliefs and attitudes about HIV, Syphilis and Viral Hepatitis, as well as determining key HIV risk factors, especially with regards to the HIV status and morbidity among key and vulnerable populations in Liberia.

The 106-page report revealed increased HIV prevalence in almost all the population groups, compared to the 2013 figures, with 37.9% (19.8% in 2013) HIV prevalence in men who have sex with men (MSM), followed by transgender women with 27.6% (not included in 2013 IBBSS), uniformed service personnel, 17.6% (5.0% in 2013), female sex workers (FSW), 16.7% (9.8% in 2013), people who inject drugs (PWID), 14.4% (3.9% in 2013), transport workers, 9.6% (4.8% in 2013), and inmates, 5.6% (not included in 2013 IBBSS). Only mobile traders and miners showed slight declines in HIV prevalence from 4.5% in 2013 to 3.8%, and from 3.8% in 2013 to 3.0%, respectively.

Mr. Jones disclosed additional findings from the survey, indicating Hepatitis B was much more prevalent than Syphilis and Hepatitis C among the key populations, particularly MSM (34%), transgender women (21.9%), FSW (20.1%), and PWID (19.2%). Among the vulnerable populations, Hepatitis B prevalence was 25.0% among uniformed service personnel, closely followed by transport workers, inmates, and miners at 21% each, and lowest among mobile traders at 13.1%.

Officially launching the report, Mr. Lewis Wright, Commissioner for Program and Policy at the National AIDS Commission (NAC), said the IBBSS has provided evidence of the issues that require stakeholders working together to address at the level of their various organizations.

“Unless we come together to deal with the situation that the report presents, the goal of ending AIDS would be undermined. If we, as a country, are to celebrate the end of AIDS, we must discourage stigma and discrimination, and embrace diversity and tolerance in all sectors of the country. This needs collectiveness.” Mr. Wright said.

He highlighted that eliminating stigma and discrimination against Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV), Key Populations (KPs) and vulnerable groups will need a deliberate commitment in putting these groups of people at the center of testing, treatment, viral load suppression and ensuring access to health care services.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Dr. Moses Jeuronlon, WHO Technical Lead for Disease Prevention and Control in the Liberia Country Office said the report was a milestone in the national HIV response. Committing WHO continued support to the national HIV response, he said the report provides evidence for advocacy and resource mobilization. Also speaking for the Liberia Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund, Dr. Jeuronlon said they will go beyond engaging Key Populations in consensus building on priority HIV interventions to ensuring their greater participation in implementation of specified differentiated interventions, with the guiding principle to leave no one behind.

Atty. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, Director for Legislative Assistance, Treaty Matters and Laws at the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) said, the IBBSS report is important because it would help inform decision makers, partners and stakeholders in advancing the promotion and protection of rights for everyone, void of any form of discrimination.

To mitigate the issues discovered, the report recommends that stakeholders in Liberia should design targeted HIV programs to increase knowledge and skills to reduce high-risk behaviors for transmitting and acquiring HIV infection among key and vulnerable populations and added that the designs of programs and interventions should be user-friendly, allowing for multiple entry points to facilities to access HIV related information, prevention, and treatment services.

In attendance at the launch, and also making remarks at the occasion were key stakeholders including representatives from the Ministry of Justice, USAID, UNFPA, UNICEF, the UN Human Rights agency (OHCHR), Action Aid-Liberia, Plan International, Civil Society Organizations including networks of Key Populations, and the media, among others. All the speakers pledged their institutions support and commitment in working together to implement the recommendations from the study in support of the National HIV Response.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

Luanda- Angola has registered, in the last 24 hours, 104 new cases, 12 deaths and the recovery of 30 patients.

According to the figures released, 70 cases were diagnosed in Luanda, 17 in Huila, 5 in Namibe, 3 in Benguela, 3 in Uige, 2 in Bié, 2 in Moxico, 1 in Cunene and 1 in Lunda Norte.

The list includes 52 male and 52 female patients whose ages range from 1 to 88 year old.

According to the data, deaths were reported in the provinces of Huila, with 5, Luanda with 4, Bié with 2 and Namibe with 1.

Among the recovered patients, 9 reside in Namibe, 7 in Huila, 6 in Moxico, 5 in Huambo, 2 in Luanda and 1 in Benguela.

The laboratories processed, in the last 24 hours, 1,652 samples.

There are 270 patients in the hospitalisation centres, while the institutional quarantine centres host 195 citizens.

There are 1,881 contacts of positive cases under medical surveillance.

Angola has 50,446 cases, with 1,339 deaths, 44,652 recovered and 4,455 active. Of the active cases, 23 are critical, 43 serious, 145 moderate, 61 light and 4.183 asymptomatic.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

The WHO Acting Country Representative, Dr. Zabulon Yoti and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Peter Speyrer, on 7 September 2021 handed over a donation of 462 boxes (924,000 pieces) of facemasks and 11 pieces of GeneX-pert machine modules to the Ministry of Health. The donation of the facemasks was made possible through support provided to the WHO Country Office by the German Government. This support has been channeled through a project which aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness and response and procurement of personal protective and diagnostic equipment.

Speaking during the ceremony, the WHO Acting Representative, Dr. Zabulon Yoti, said that with the COVID-19 resurgence, WHO is partnering with other donors and stakeholders to urgently boost all interventions areas in ensuring the availability of sufficient supplies and diagnostic equipment which are critical requirement. Dr. Yoti said the use of facemask has become extremely important in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic but, can also be used to support the other areas of health. “Expanding the capacity for COVID-19 testing is key to slowing down COVID-19 transmission and reducing sickness and death in the country,” said Dr. Yoti.

The Deputy Health Minister for Planning, Policy Monitoring and Evaluation and Research at the Ministry of Health, Mr. Vaifee Tulay received the donation on behalf of the Honorable Minister of Health. Hon. Tulay said that the donation would help the country in its COVID-19 prevention efforts and testing for COVID-19 as well as other diseases like HIV. He commended the German Government and WHO for the collaboration in supporting the country’s response. The Government of Germany is one of the main partners supporting health infrastructure development as well as providing support for critical commodities.

WHO continues to support the Government of Liberia in the response to COVID-19, including through strengthening laboratory capacity. WHO is also working with the Government for the continuation of essential and routine health services throughout the country.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa