Ethiopia news and features

Former Gavi Board member Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is elected Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Measles outbreaks in numerous countries – caused by gaps in routine immunisation and in mass vaccination campaigns – continue to be a serious challenge.

Without intervention the rising number of deaths from cervical cancer will exceed maternal mortality rates in developing countries.

With more than half of Gavi-supported countries officially listed as fragile states, Gavi is increasingly working on several fronts to ensure vaccines still reach people living on the frontlines of humanitarian crises.

Children in Sudan are set to become the first in the Meningitis belt to benefit from the introduction of Meningitis A vaccine into a routine immunization programme.

First-ever Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa delivers concludes with signed declaration to promote the use of vaccines across the African continent.

Joint press release first published by WHO and PATH, joint founders of the Meningitis Vaccine Project.

Organization of African First Ladies ask African countries to finish unfinished business

New data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Measles & Rubella Initiative, estimates that 17.1 million lives have been saved since 2000, largely due to increased vaccination coverage against this highly contagious viral disease.

New research forecasts a resurgence of meningitis A epidemics in 15 years should immunization efforts stall.

Global health leaders examine progress and share best practices for ending maternal and child death.

Coverage trends heading in right direction but major differences remain between countries.

Imams in one of Ethiopia’s remotest regions are helping break cultural and geographical barriers to increasing immunisation rates.

African leaders express support to the Vaccine Alliance with goal of reaching every child.

Nepal is one of 25 countries who have received approval to begin using IPV with Gavi support. Afghanistan and Pakistan are also planning to introduce IPV by end of next year.

Global health community celebrates progress and commits to maternal and child health at USAID event in Washington.

The global health community loses a hero and leader in the effort to eradicate polio, smallpox and measles

Canadian PM Harper calls on countries to invest politically, financially to improve maternal, newborn and child health

European Commission kickstarts GAVI Alliance Replenishment process with landmark contribution at high-level Brussels meeting.

Announcement made at official launch of Alliance’s replenishment process in Brussels.

From singers and Presidents to Ministers and advocates, GAVI Alliance supporters explain why they are backing the Alliance’s vision for 2020

The GAVI Alliance calls on donors to back ambitious plans to immunise an additional 300 million children against potentially fatal diseases between 2016 and 2020 and save a further five to six million lives.

CEO breakfast at WEF Africa puts spotlight on role of private sector partnerships in vaccinating children in Africa.

H.E. Dr Mulatu Teshome becomes immunisation champion.

Announces US$ 7.5 million initial donation to Alliance to support childhood vaccination.

Countries eligible for GAVI Alliance support invited to apply for funding for inactivated polio vaccine until 2015.

Ethiopia becomes the 17th country to introduce rotavirus vaccine with GAVI Alliance support.

GAVI welcomes Canada’s US$ 20 million pledge to accelerate access to measles vaccines.

Representatives of the Lions Clubs International visited the GAVI Secretariat to kickstart partnership against measles and rubella agreed in July

Sabin Vaccine Institute convenes government officials to discuss progress on sustainable immunization financing programs (News release: Sabin Vaccine Institute).

Partners Forum 2012 - Session summary. A discussion among presenters Anne Lafond (of ARISE/JSI in the U.S.), Sharmin Zahan (of BRAC in Bangladesh), Fatima Adamu (Usmanu Danfodyo University in Nigeria) and Lubna Hashmat (Civil Society Human and Institutional Development Program in Pakistan), who uniformly made the case for strengthening the engagement of all stakeholders in countries’ EPI programs (Expanded Program on Immunization) in order to reach the most marginalized populations with immunization.

Partners Forum 2012 - Session summary. The CSO session brought together civil society and other participants attending the GAVI Partners’ Forum.

Useful information for anyone attending the Partners' Forum in Tanzania: Climate, Passports & Visas, Health, Safety, General behaviour in public, Currency, Tipping, Electricity, Shopping

Efforts to eliminate meningitis in 26 at-risk countries will take a major step forward over the next three months as 50 million people receive crucial vaccinations in seven African countries.

Governments and Civil Society Organisation both sign pledges to work towards ending preventable child deaths by 2035, bringing the Child Survival Call to Action meeting to a successful conclusion.

High-level conference on child survival kicks-off with a goal of ending all preventable child deaths around the world in a generation.

Addressing a gathering of global leaders on child and maternal health, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton describes the child mortality gap between rich and poor countries as "shocking".

One year on from Pledging Conference for Immunisation, GAVI lists its key results and challenges.

New investment tops year of progress in providing world's poorest children with equitable access to life-saving vaccines.

A new report from UNICEF focuses on the huge potential to narrow the child survival gap between the richest and the poorest by focusing on pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two primary killers of children under the age of five.

Rotavirus vaccines will protect children from severe and deadly diarrhoea.

GAVI CEO's speech to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases focuses on need for equity in vaccine coverage.

Launching the “Every Child Deserves a Fifth Birthday” social media campaign in Washington,  the head of the United States Agency for International Development gives a sneak peek of his vision for a world with zero child deaths from preventable diseases.

Interview with Muhammad Sani Adamu, Head of Accelerated Disease Control in Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency, who played a key role in rolling out the new vaccine against meningitis A, MenAfriVac, to Nigeria’s northern states.

One of the first countries to introduce the new meningitis A vaccine (MenAfriVac), Chad ran an immunisation campaign with GAVI support in December 2011 to help eliminate the region’s devastating epidemics.

Advances lauded as Malawi becomes next developing country to introduce pneumococcal vaccine on Saturday - World Pneumonia Day.
 

Rotavirus-related diarrhoea kills mostly in developing countries, but vaccine roll outs have begun.

Largest introduction to date of life-saving pneumococcal vaccines to be provided to Ethiopian children.

Sudan's introduction of rotavirus vaccine earlier this year signalled the start of a wave of African countries ready to counter the world's leading cause of diarrhoeal deaths with GAVI support. In September, the Alliance approved funding for 12 more African countries to introduce the rotavirus vaccine.

In Ethiopia, GAVI support for civil society organisations is helping the Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association deliver routine immunisation to even the remotest communities.

MenAfriVac, a new vaccine against Meningococcal Meningitis seroptype Nm A, is expected to prevent meningitis epidemics in Africa's "meningitis belt" of 25 countries that stretch from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

The GAVI Alliance has committed US$ 100 million to help tackle meningitis A in Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria, part of a strategy to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa with a new life-saving vaccine, MenAfriVac.

GAVI supports mass vaccination campaign in “meningitis belt”.

The Ministry of Health of Rwanda hosted this meeting in which Dagfinn Høybråten was appointed as Board Chair, succeeding Mary Robinson who was recognised for her commitment and leadership to ensure all children have access to immunisation.

Also, the Board approved GAVI’s 2011 business plan and budget.

Field trips were organised in district hospitals and health centers.

HRH Princess Cristina, Director of the International Area of the "la Caixa" Foundation, and Mary Robinson, Chair of the GAVI Alliance Board, ex-President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, renewed this morning at Caixa Forum Madrid the commitment of "la Caixa" to the eradication of child mortality with the donation to GAVI of 3 million euros.

Ethiopia is a major challenge for public health services, since most people live in remote rural areas. CSOs therefore play a vital role in mobilising communities to access health services, and also in direct service provision.

The GAVI Alliance Board today agreed to pursue the implementation of a common Health System Funding Platform to make better use of new and existing funds for health systems and to leverage additional funding.

In an effort to save lives and contain the spread of meningitis, the GAVI Alliance has fast tracked a US$ 55 million contribution to establish a stockpile of meningococcal vaccines and pay for reactive campaigns in the highly endemic African “meningitis belt” countries.

UNICEF website – On the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly session, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said there is a long way to go to reach the Millennium Development Goals by their 2015 target date.

MDGs still within reach but stronger focus on the most marginalized will be required.

Health Ministers from countries of the African Meningitis Belt today committed themselves to introduce a highly promising candidate meningitis vaccine. The vaccine is designed to prevent periodic epidemics of the deadly disease in these countries.

The Ethiopian International Health Partnership Plus Compact was signed in Addis Ababa today. Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary of the GAVI Alliance congratulated the Ethiopian Health Minster Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying: "We look forward to working with the Ethiopian Government, the development partners and national stakeholders to advance the International Health Partnership principles in Ethiopia."
 

This acclaimed BBC series which airs “real stories of courage and determination from around the world” features two friends Zewde Getahun and Fantaye Yenehu, working in their community, providing 16 different kinds of health service. They are among Ethiopia’s 24,000 health extension workers, whose training is funded by GAVI’s health system strengthening support.

In response to unprecedented demand from developing countries, the GAVI Alliance will increase its funding for health system strengthening to US$800 million.

A significant step forward to protect children against Hib pneumonia and meningitis.