Category: AFRICA

Enhancing preparedness to tackle rising zoonotic diseases in Africa

Healthtimes

The ongoing Marburg virus disease outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania are the latest of several zoonotic diseases reported in the African region. The region has seen an increase of such outbreaks, recording a 63% rise between 2012 and 2022 compared with the previous decade. Zoonotic diseases represent approximately 32% of the region’s infectious disease outbreak reported between 2001 and 2022. Dr Tieble Traore, Emergency Preparedness Technical Officer at WHO Regional Office for Africa, explains how African countries should prepare to effectively respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks such as Marburg.…

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WHO Predicts A 10 Million Global Shortage Of Healthcare Workers By 2030

Michael Gwarisa

THE Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health which kicked yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, amplified calls for increased investment towards developing and recruiting more healthcare workers in the face of an impending global human resource catastrophe. By Michael Gwarisa According to World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, severe disruptions to health systems have led to excess mortality and avoidable deaths in many countries, reversing previous improvements in healthy lives and well-being and the single largest cause of disrupted health services during the pandemic was the…

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WHO Tells Countries To Increase Graduation Numbers Of Healthcare Personnel

Michael Gwarisa

In order to curb chronic shortages of health workers in low and middle income countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised all countries to increase graduation of health personnel to reach 8-12% of the active workforce per annum. By Michael Gwarisa The call comes a few weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO)  released an updated WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023, identifying 55 countries including Zimbabwe, as vulnerable for availability of health workers required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal target for universal health coverage…

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