WHO in Somalia
A forgotten conundrum: regulating the use of antimicrobials in a fragile context
Credits: WHO 17 November 2021 – World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, commemorated from 18 to 24 November every year, aims to draw attention to the crucial issue of the proper use of antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. This year, the theme for the campaign is to ‘Spread Awareness, Stop Resistance’. The...
Saving lives and reducing disability from injuries in Somalia: a new approach to trauma care
11 November 2021 – In the last 3 decades, Somalia has faced protracted conflict and emergencies — as a result of which the high burden of injuries has been ubiquitous and often poorly addressed from the public health lens. The public health burden of injuries and trauma In December 2020 and January 2021, the Federal Ministry of Health, with...
Somalia receives another shipment of 336 500 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines donated by the United States Government through the COVAX Facility
Credit: UNSOM/Mukhtar Nuur 8 November 2021 – As the head of the Shabellow Bay Camp for internally displaced persons in southwest Somalia Ibrahim Mohamed Ali spends a lot of his time trying to convince his community members to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Ibrahim explains that even though his cousin in Baidoa had advised him to get vaccinated earlier...
In fight against COVID-19, Germany donates 163 000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Somalia through COVAX Facility
Photo: UNICEF/Hinds Mogadishu, 26 October 2021 – Somalia is scaling up its battle to combat the COVID-19 pandemic after receiving 163 000 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines from the Government of Germany through the COVAX Facility today. “The Government of Germany has extended its valuable support to Somalia in the fight against COVID-19 and we...
Somalia rolls out FETP-Frontline training programme to build disease detectives and prevent spread of diseases
25 October 2021 – Having a public health workforce that is able to rapidly detect and respond to disease outbreaks is key for any health system, as recently shown on a worldwide scale with the current COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of this empowered and well-equipped resource is further emphasized by the International Health Regulations (IHR...
World Polio Day 2021: Delivering on the promise to protect every Somali child from polio
Mogadishu, 24 October 2021 – On World Polio Day 2021, the Federal Government of Somalia, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other key partners from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) renewed their efforts to deliver on the promise to protect every Somali child from polio. Over the years,...
Somalia pioneers implementation of an integrated disease surveillance and response strategy in a fragile setting
Participants at the IDSRS workshop formed groups to discuss topics such as the importance of focused disease surveillance in the context of the health challenges facing Somalia Why Somalia needed to implement the integrated disease surveillance and response strategy As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, the world is becoming a smaller place and...
Making mental health care for all a reality in Somalia: United Nations and the Government join forces to scale up quality mental health services at all levels of care
Mogadishu,10 October 2021 – For this year’s World Mental Health Day, the WHO global theme is ‘Mental health care for all: Let’s make it a reality’. Over the past year, there is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of millions across the world, especially health and other frontline workers, people...
French President and WHO Director-General commend Somali doctors who participated in WHO Academy certified training course on dealing with mass casualties
Photo: Dr Siyad Mohamed Abdi (bottom right) addresses Dr Tedros, President Macron and WHO Academy Executive Director, Dr Agnès Buzyn (top right) during the groundbreaking ceremony in France, while health professionals from other countries listen to the discussion, 27 September 2021 MOGADISHU, 29 September 2021 – The World Health Organization...
Newly established WHO Academy credits response of Somali health workers to mass casualty events
29 September 2021 – Three decades after a civil war and several natural and manmade disasters, the resilience of Somali communities and health workers have been put to test many times. Each time the sound of an explosion reverberates across a city or town, under-resourced health facilities scattered sparsely across the country can expect to...