Rwanda has been selected to host the headquarters of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) by the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) at a meeting held in the Zambian capital of Lusaka on Saturday. The council agreed that AMA will enhance the capacity of AU state parties and the continent’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) […] Continue reading ->
WHO and Africa CDC are trying to close a huge testing gap for monkeypox that has left some health workers reliant on symptomatic diagnosis. The World Health Organization (WHO) and African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) acknowledge they will not be able to gain a clear understanding of the monkeypox outbreak in […] Continue reading ->
Africa CDC wants to be able to declare public health emergencies of continental security but the WHO warns this could be a risky move that could isolate African countries and create confusion regarding response. The World Health Organization’s African Regional Office (WHO AFRO) has found itself explaining its disapproval of the Africa CDC’s quest for […] Continue reading ->
Rich countries are rushing to get doses – but African countries say they should get the vaccines first for a disease endemic to the continent. A plan by the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a vaccine sharing mechanism that will attempt to provide equitable access to vaccines effective against monkeypox disease will only be […] Continue reading ->
A meeting to decide which African country will be the host country for the African Medicines Agency (AMA) is underway and at the last count, expressions of interest in hosting the agency have been received from Uganda, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. The decision is expected to be one of the outcomes […] Continue reading ->
Within the last five years, Africa CDC has grown into a “formidable” public health agency. But equally formidable challenges remain for the agency, which must provide advice and guidance on Ebola, cholera, measles – as well facing yet another surge in COVID cases in South Africa – the country hardest hit by SARS-CoV2, says outgoing […] Continue reading ->
African leaders have applauded the US move to appoint John Nkengasong as head of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Reliefs (PEPFAR) – saying he’ll reinvigorate the programme that has been a flagship for the global battle against the AIDS pandemic for nearly decades. But they also said the loss of Nkgengasong as head […] Continue reading ->
Only 10 of Africa’s 54 countries have vaccinated more than a third of their citizens, although the continent has administered over two-thirds of the vaccine doses it has procured. The top 10 vaccinators are Seychelles (81%), Mauritius (76%), Rwanda (64%), Morocco (63%), Cape Verde (55%), Botswana (54%), Tunisia (53%), Mozambique (43%), São Tomé and Príncipe […] Continue reading ->
The current Director of the Africa CDC is a vote away from leading PEPFAR. He unveils his vision for the US-led global HIV/AIDS response and future wishes for the Africa CDC. Dr John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is on track to lead the United States President’s […] Continue reading ->
Even while other parts of the world see upticks, or in the case of Asia, huge spikes in COVID-19 cases, an increasing number of African countries are scaling back COVID-19 surveillance and quarantine measures – a trend that the World Health Organization finds worrisome in the continent that still has the lowest rates of vaccination […] Continue reading ->