<\/p>\n
Although the regional health body has not yet quantified the impact, officials say disruptions to global supply chains are expected to affect healthcare delivery in the coming months.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO Africa\u2019s Director for Health Systems and Services, Dr Adelheid Onyango, said African health systems would inevitably feel the effects of rising fuel costs and supply chain instability. \u201cAs long as we rely on imported products, there is going to be interference with supply chains,\u201d Onyango said. \u201cFuel costs have gone up, and many health facilities depend on generators to maintain cold chains and sustain services. Health systems, like other systems, will be impacted, although we cannot yet put figures to this.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She stressed that the situation remains fluid, making it difficult to assess the full scale of the impact, but warned that African countries are unlikely to be spared.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The briefing also focused on the state of immunisation in Africa, where WHO reports major progress alongside worrying gaps. According to WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr Mohamed Yacoub Janabi, immunisation efforts have saved millions of lives over the past two decades. \u201cSince 2000, nearly 20 million measles-related deaths have been prevented, and more than 500 million African children have been protected through routine immunisation,\u201d Janabi said. In 2024 alone, immunisation efforts saved an estimated 1.9 million lives, while malaria vaccines are now being rolled out in 25 African countries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, Janabi warned that progress is uneven and slowing in some regions. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of so-called zero-dose children, those who have never received a single vaccine. Today, 10 countries account for 80% of zero-dose children in Africa. \u201cThis is a profound equity issue,\u201d he said. \u201cA child\u2019s chance of survival must never depend on geography, conflict or climate shock.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On health emergencies, WHO noted progress in controlling outbreaks. Cholera-affected countries have declined from 23 to 14, while active diphtheria outbreaks have dropped by half. However, flooding, displacement and poor sanitation continue to heighten disease risks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO is also supporting investigations into a mysterious illness in northern Burundi, which has caused five deaths, with samples sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for further testing.\u201cEmergencies are changing,\u201d Janabi said, \u201cbut the fundamentals remain detection, trust, speed and coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":32249,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-32248","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa has warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is likely to place additional strain on health systems across the continent, particularly as many African countries rely heavily on imported medical supplies, fuel and essential commodities.","published_date":"","news_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa has warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is likely to place additional strain on health systems across the continent, particularly as many African countries rely heavily on imported medical supplies, fuel and essential commodities.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/32248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/32248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32250,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/32248\/revisions\/32250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=32248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}