The African Union has received EUR 10 million funding from the European Union (EU) to implement a joint int Continental Strategy for COVID-19. The funding is the initial contribution by Team Europe to the continental action against COVID-19. H.E. Ambassador Ranieri Sabatucci, Head of the EU Delegation to the African Union, and Dr John Nkengasong,…
Wary as COViD-19 cases sharply rise in Africa
COVID-19 continues to spread in Africa since the virus was first detected on the continent in mid-February 2020. More than 200 000 cases have been confirmed so far, with more than 5600 deaths. The pandemic is accelerating – it took 98 days to reach 100 000 cases and only 18 days to move to 200…
Three African countries pledge for Vaccines body for the first time
Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Uganda made their first-ever pledge to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance joining world leaders to pledge US$ 8.8 billion for a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The funding will help immunise 300 million more children in the world’s poorest countries against…
COVID-19: South Africa National Defense Force (SANDF) receive masks
Paramount Group, the global aerospace and technology company, has today donated 1,000 facial-masks to the South Africa National Defense Force (SANDF) in their continued effort to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to those on the country’s front lines of what has become a global COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The donation arrives on the heels of aeronautical engineers from…
COVID-19: Grim predictions by WHO AFRO
The modification of the risk of transmission of COVID-19 predicts close to 190,000 people in Africa could die from the disease and 29 million to 44 million could get infected in the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail, a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa finds.…
COVID-19: Immunisation programmes in Africa at risk, threatens more disease outbreaks
Immunisations programmes in Africa are at risk thanks to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Measles outbreaks are currently ongoing in several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. The DRC outbreak is currently the world’s largest, affecting over 300,000…
COVID-19 in Kenya: Focus on screening and testing
By Henry Opondo Kenya will roll out mass random screening of members of the public for COVID-19 beginning this coming Saturday. Mutahi Kagwe Health Cabinet Secretary told the press that at the moment, the country has restricted its screening at the point of entries, mostly the airports. “We have screed over 600,000 people who have…
President Kenyatta picked to Chair the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA)
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced his four priorities for his two-year term as Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA). His overall aim is to eliminate malaria from the continent by 2030. The game-changing agenda addresses major challenges in the battle against malaria. These challenges include the insufficient engagement of women, children and…