Namibia Minute.
Friday, 24 April 2026
A daily Namibian brief · Est. 2026
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Organization

World Health Organisation

Also known as: WHO · World Health Organization

UN health agency referenced in Namibian coverage of disease outbreaks, prevention standards, and health emergencies including malaria, Nipah virus, and leprosy.

Society

Namibia launches second polio vaccination round for children

The News

The Ministry of Health and Social Services is urging parents to vaccinate all children under 10 during a second round of polio immunisation scheduled for 24–27 February 2026, following detection of poliovirus type 2 in sewage in Rundu in November 2025, though no cases of illness have been reported. The free oral vaccine will be available at health facilities, schools and community outreach sites, with health officials emphasising it is safe and necessary to strengthen immunity and prevent possible outbreaks.

24 February 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 24 February

  1. Namibia launches second polio vaccination round for children

    The Ministry of Health and Social Services is urging parents to vaccinate all children under 10 during a second round of polio immunisation scheduled for 24–27 February 2026, following detection of poliovirus type 2 in sewage in Rundu in November 2025, though no cases of illness have been reported. The free oral vaccine will be available at health facilities, schools and community outreach sites, with health officials emphasising it is safe and necessary to strengthen immunity and prevent possible outbreaks.

    24 February 2026 · Informanté →

Thursday 19 February

  1. Four anti-inflammatory foods to boost good cholesterol

    HDL or "good" cholesterol removes excess bad cholesterol from arteries and protects artery walls, reducing cardiovascular disease risk when in higher ratio to LDL. Foods like fruits and vegetables, oily fish, olive oil, fermented dairy, and moderate red wine reduce inflammation and help improve HDL levels and cholesterol ratios.

    19 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 18 February

  1. Health ministry achieves 91% coverage in polio campaign

    The Ministry of Health and Social Services vaccinated over 800,000 children in the first round of a nationwide polio immunisation campaign, achieving 91% coverage. The campaign was launched after poliovirus type 2 was detected in sewage samples in Rundu in November 2025, despite Namibia being polio-free since 2006.

    18 February 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 17 February

  1. Kavango River water drinkable despite some quality concerns

    A scientific assessment of water from the Cubango-Kavango River system found overall water quality suitable for drinking based on a water quality index analysis, though some indicators exceed guideline levels and researchers warn that continuous monitoring is needed as human and agricultural activities increase pressure on the river.

    17 February 2026 · The Namibian →

  2. African leaders urge sustainable funding to combat surging malaria threat

    African Heads of State called for urgent and sustainable financing after the 2025 Africa Malaria Progress Report revealed 270.8 million malaria cases and nearly 600,000 deaths on the continent in 2024. Leaders warned that declining international funding and stalled progress risk reversing decades of gains, and urged countries to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation while appealing to global partners to honour pledges and support local manufacturing of antimalarial tools.

    17 February 2026 · Informanté →

Sunday 15 February

  1. Africa must control its biological resources and data sovereignty

    According to Taime Sylvester, a researcher at NUST, Africa's biological diversity, pathogen samples, and genomic data are extracted by wealthy nations with little benefit returned. She argues that Africa must resist bilateral agreements that treat biological data as freely available and instead build domestic scientific capacity to govern, analyse, and profit from its own biological knowledge.

    15 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 13 February

  1. Africa must own biological resources, shape benefit-sharing rules

    An opinion piece argues that African nations, including Namibia, must resist the extraction of biological resources and pathogen data without guaranteed benefit-sharing, and instead build domestic scientific capacity to demonstrate the value of their biological wealth. The author, a NUST researcher representing Namibia in WHO negotiations on pathogen access, contends that Africa's future depends on controlling its own biological sovereignty through stronger international agreements and training scientists who understand data sovereignty and ethics.

    13 February 2026 · New Era →

  2. SADC forum urges condom use, adoption of HIV model law

    The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum's secretary general has called on regional parliamentarians to promote condom use, eliminate stigma, and adopt the SADC model law on HIV-AIDS, marking International Condom Day on 13 February. She emphasised condoms as an effective, affordable prevention tool and urged member parliaments to domesticate the model law to strengthen national HIV responses and protect human rights.

    13 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 10 February

  1. Kala-azar disease cases double in Kenya, spreading to new regions

    Kenya is experiencing a surge in kala-azar, a deadly sandfly-borne disease, with cases rising from 1,575 in 2024 to 3,577 in 2025 and spreading to previously untouched areas. Health officials attribute the outbreak to climate change and expanding human settlements, while treatment remains limited and costly in affected regions.

    10 February 2026 · New Era →

Monday 9 February

  1. Ministry prioritises oncology services expansion to northern Namibia

    Health Minister Esperance Luvindao announced that the Ministry of Health will establish oncology services in Oshakati this year, with three specialist oncologists earmarked for the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital as part of efforts to decentralise cancer care and reduce treatment waiting times to a maximum of six weeks. The Ministry also plans to develop radiotherapy capacity, procure new brachytherapy equipment, and ensure availability of essential chemotherapy medicines.

    9 February 2026 · Informanté →

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