By Eratus Ndueh
The Minister of Communication, and spokesperson of the government, Rene Emmanuel Sadi has denied any claims on an outing that has been making waves on social media, where he is alleged to have warned Cameroonians against the use of the question ‘What was there before’ translated in French ‘il y’avait quoi avant’, or faces charges of hostility to fatherland and insult to institutions, coupled with the propagation of false news.
According to a communiqué released on March 16, a director at the Ministry debunked the information, saying that ‘It aims to sow confusion among public opinion.’ He added that ‘information which comes from the Ministry of Communication is always well organized and disseminated through official communication channels.’
Also, the Minister of Communication, while condemning what he described as an unprofessional approach whose target is to harm his person and the values of the journalism profession, called for strick respect for ethics and deontology of the profession by
media professionals, in the processing of information before sharing.
The innocuous question ‘il y’avait quoi avant’ was pronounced in Maroua in the Far North of Cameroon by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Célestine Ketcha Courtes on a working visit, where she questioned the population about what existed before Biya, who has been in power for 41 years. She insinuated that before Paul Biya, Maroua had no roads that anyone could boast about.
Source: Cameroon News Agency
The World Health Organization (WHO) has lauded the recent decision by Ethiopia to approve life-saving yellow fever vaccine into the country’s routine immunization program.
This decision is a major part of Ethiopia’s efforts to implement the Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics strategy that aims to protect almost one billion people against this deadly disease worldwide and eliminate its epidemics by the end of 2026, the WHO said in a statement.
Nonhlanhla Dlamini, acting representative of the WHO Ethiopia, said the approval to introduce the yellow fever vaccine in Ethiopia is a significant breakthrough to ensure the availability of vaccines for the people of the country and protect populations at risk.
“The WHO is coordinating the effort and supporting the government by engaging multidisciplinary partners to extend their support with the resource required for smooth integration of yellow fever vaccine into their routine immunization schedule,” the statement quoted Dlamini as saying.
This year, the Eliminate y
ellow fever epidemics (EYE) strategy will host its 7th Annual Partners’ Meeting in Addis Ababa from 19 to 21 March and provides an opportunity for Ethiopia to gain insights from countries that have already introduced yellow fever vaccine into their routine immunization schedules, and that have conducted preventive vaccination campaigns.
State Minister of Health Dereje Duguma said ‘Hosting this EYE Partners’ meeting immediately after the country’s significant decision allows us to learn from the experiences of other countries and seek support from EYE partners to effectively implement the EYE Strategy within our nation.’
Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted between humans by the bites of mosquitoes, according to the WHO.
There is no specific treatment for yellow fever, which has a case fatality rate as high as 31 percent to 47 percent for those who develop severe forms of the disease. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides life-long protection, the WHO noted.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency