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Health in Africa

  • UN - Nearly $1 Billion Needed to Combat Ebola Outbreak

    WORLD, 2014/10/18 The United Nations announced today that it would need nearly $1 billion for an exceptional, international response to Ebola outbreak in West Africa, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declaring: "Each day we delay, the cost and the suffering will grow exponentially." "This is not just a health crisis; it has grave humanitarian, economic and social consequences that could spread far beyond the affected nations," the Secretary-General said at a press conference at UN Headquarters to outline the priorities of the new session of General Assembly.

  • The European Union (EU) will organize a massive airlift of materials to help nations affected by the Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa

    EUROPEAN UNION, 2014/10/11 The European Union (EU) will organize a massive airlift of materials to help nations affected by the Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa, according to a statement issued here on Wednesday. In the statement, the EU said it had chartered three 747 cargo planes to transport medical personnel, health facilities, inclunding protection materials and masks, inclunding medicines. It said the planes will take off from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Friday to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the materials will be handed over to humanitarian organizations operating in the field.

  • Biomedical science centres in East Africa

    EAST AFRICA, 2014/10/11 The African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance biomedical science centres in East Africa with US$98m - The board of directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved loans totaling US$ 98.22 million with which to build the initial phase of centres of excellence in biomedical sciences in four East African nations, according to a statement from the financial institution, received here by PANA. The centres, which will be cited in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, will train qualified human resources to meet the needs of the labour market within the East African Community (EAC). At the same time as fully completed, the centres will support a network of centres of excellence in engineering and biomedical sciences in the fields of nephrology and urology in Kenya, oncology in Uganda, of cardiovascular medicine in Tanzania and biomedical engineering and e-health in Rwanda.

  • UK troops set to build 4 Ebola treatment facilities in Sierra Leone

    UNITED KINGDOM, 2014/10/10 At least 100 members of the British military medical team are preparing to provide a 700-bed treatment unit in Sierra Leone where they will as well build at least 4 new Ebola treatment facilities near urban centres. The treatment centres would be built in Port Loko, Freetown, Makeni and Bo, according to an official statement made available  on Wednesday in Kigali. The statement quoted a senior officer of the UK army, Commander 2 Medical Brigade, Brigadier Kevin Beaton, as saying that the new military doctors' team to be deployed would join army engineers and planners who have been in the west of the country for almost a month, overseeing the construction of the medical facilities.

  • West African countries sign US $152 million Fight Back Ebola

    BENIN, 2014/10/09 The President of the African Development Bank Group and representatives from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire on October 1, 2014 in Abidjan signed loan and grant agreements worth US $152 million to fight back the Ebola crisis in West Africa. The signing ceremony took place instantly next the Fight Back Ebola Budget Support Programme was approved before in the morning by the AfDB Group Board of Directors, in recognition of the urgent need for liquidities of the concerned nations. The funds will be allocated to the three nations most impacted by the deadly virus: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, inclunding to Côte d'Ivoire as a preventive measure. The financial package consists of a loan of US $121 million and a grant of US $30 million (US $61 million for Liberia, US $50 million for Sierra Leone, US $32 million for Guinea, and US $9 million for Côte d'Ivoire).

  • British aid supplies arrive in Freetown to tackle Ebola outbreak

    UNITED KINGDOM, 2014/10/09 Two flights containing ambulances, tents, incinerators and further UK aid to tackle the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone arrived this weekend. Two flights containing ambulances, tents and further UK aid to tackle the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone arrived in Freetown this weekend, International Development Secretary Justine Greening has confirmed. The flights delivered equipment to assist with the construction and operation of the UK's 92 bed treatment facility, inclunding generators, air conditioning units and lighting sets.

  • Algeria: 'Pink October' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign Kicks Off

    ALGERIA, 2014/10/09 The official kick-off of the campaign against breast cancer, entitled "Pink October", was given Tuesday night in Algiers by minister of Health, People and Hospital Reform, Abdelmalek Boudiaf, minister of Post and Data and Communication Technologies Zohra Derdouri and the Dean of breast specialists and department chief at Pierre and Marie Curie Centre (CPMC), Ahmed Bendib. The official launch of "Pink October" campaign was attended by representatives of several ministries, the medical profession, associations and the media to support patients with breast cancer and encourage other women to have early screening. Boudiaf announced that a census operation of cancer cases was underway in all health care facilities nationwide to develop a national cancer registry.

  • Uganda Virus Institute in Entebbe confirmed the presence of the virus.

    UGANDA, 2014/10/06 For the second time in two years was a Marburg fever case confirmed in Uganda, next a patient died last week and the laboratory tests by the Uganda Virus Institute in Entebbe confirmed the presence of the virus. Uganda confirmed a patient has died next contracting Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever, the country's ministry of health announced Oct.5. Some 80 people, 60 of whom are health workers, are being monitored for symptoms of the virus next coming into contact with the victim. The World Health Organization stressed that the disease can be contained and that nobody should panic. West Africa is currently dealing with an outbreak of the Ebola virus.

  • World Response on Ebola. Where is the money?

    WORLD, 2014/10/05 As the chief of the United Nations mission working to stop the Ebola outbreak continued his visit to hard-hit nations in West Africa today, the world body's humanitarian wing said funding for the international response is lagging, with only 26 % of the $988 million needed having been received thus far. The chief of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Anthony Banbury, is in Sierra Leone today on the second leg of his visit to the majority affected nations, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reports in New York today. Mr. Banbury is in West Africa to jumpstart UNMEER's work. Next arriving at the mission's headquarters in Accra, Ghana, before this week, he spent the completed two days assessing the situation in Liberia. Next week, he will travel on to Guinea.

  • Nigeria Gets N267 Million Grant From China Over Ebola

    CHINA, 2014/10/01 NIGERIA got a further boost in its efforts against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as the Chinese Government commended it for fighting the scourge to a stand still and as well made a grant of N267 million to assist in filling identified gaps. Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Suleiman, at the grant signing and exchange of notes yesterday in Abuja, said "the grant assistance of 10 million Yuan (about N267 million) worth of medical protection and treatment" is significant, as the loopholes are critical to the fight against the plague.
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