Somalia and Puntland health authorities rolled out a polio campaign yesterday to vaccinate more than 940 000 children under 5 years of age to stop an ongoing outbreak of a strain of poliovirus. The campaign runs from 24 to 27 June 2019, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s…
DR CONGO: Major cholera vaccination campaign kick off
A vaccination campaign against cholera in North Kivu in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that targets over 800,000 people has on Monday been launched. The campaign is being implemented by the DRC Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners and funded by Gavi,…
Ebola outbreak response gets new funding
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance on Monday provided an extra US$ 9.2 million to support Ebola vaccinations in Eastern DRC, where the Ebola outbreak has now claimed over 1,100 lives. The new funding for the WHO will support operational costs for the vaccination effort, funding the vaccination teams, transportation, syringes and other vaccine supplies, as well…
Strengthening health systems to better fight infectious diseases in Africa
The WHO reports that 13 million people die from infectious diseases each year. In some countries, one in every two deaths is a result of an infectious disease; while in Africa, diseases like HIV/Aids, TB, malaria and hepatitis account for the majority of these deaths. Dr Izukanji Sikazwe, CEO of the Centre of Infectious Disease…
After Malawi, Kenya and Ghana set to launch Malaria Vaccine pilot
Malawi became the first country to launch the first Malaria vaccine pilots and thus providing a potentially valuable new tool in the fight against the disease. Kenya and Ghana will follow next with a combined target of vaccinating around 360,000 children per year in the three countries to evaluate the feasibility of delivering the required…
Gavi initiates Cholera Vaccination campaign in Mozambique
An oral cholera vaccination campaign to protect survivors of Cyclone Idai Started Wednesday in Beira, Mozambique. Funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the campaign will be carried out by the Mozambique Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, including UNICEF, the International Federation of the Red Cross and…
TICAD 7: Japan to host event on vaccination of African kids
The health of millions of African children will prominently feature at the TICAD 7 set for Yokohama, Japan. At the event, held on the eve of GAVI’s 20th anniversary, Japan will host a launch meeting for the Vaccine Alliance’s third replenishment to continue its work vaccinating millions of children in the world’s poorest countries. “Japan has…
Typhoid outbreak: Thousands in Zimbabwe begin receiving jabs
A major typhoid vaccination campaign that uses a new Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) begins today in Harare to tackle a drug-resistant outbreak of the disease. The campaign will be the first in Africa to use the TCV and targets 325,000 people in nine suburbs of Zimbabwe’s capital “While typhoid vaccines have existed for over a…