A World Health Organisation expert Dr Jalal- Eddeen Saleh will speak on new malaria vaccine at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) – Atiku Institute’s Development and Leadership Lecture series.
Dr. Saleh is the Northwest Zonal Coordinator and National Professional Officer for Malaria in the WHO National Country Office.
He will be speaking on the topic: “The New Malaria Vaccine: What does it mean” The lecture will take place in the University’s e-library auditorium on Thursday, October 14, 2021, by 6:30pm.
A statement by the university’s spokesperson Mr Dan Okereke on Wednesday said
AUN President Dr. Margee Ensign has welcomed the choice of Dr. Saleh as keynote speaker at the event.
“Dr. Saleh is one of the world’s top authorities on public health. The University is delighted to welcome him as he shares with us the truly joyous news about the new Malaria vaccine and its implications.”
The new vaccine has brought the menace of malaria back to global attention; the global health expert and epidemiologist will lead a discussion into the expected impact of its introduction on public health. Malaria remains a primary cause of preventable deaths in Nigeria, resulting in 95,000 deaths in 2018. Children under the age of 5 are the most vulnerable group targeted by this life-threatening disease and accounted for 67 percent of worldwide malaria cases in 2019.
A fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, the United Kingdom, and the American College of Physicians, Dr. Saleh is an illustrious Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist with expertise in global health and maternal and child health.
In his present responsibility as Zonal Coordinator for the Northwest Zone, responsible for all WHO programs and operations across the zone, Dr. Saleh and his team of fellow experts provide technical assistance to Nigerian Governments at federal, state and LGA levels on all aspects of Public Health services in order to align with WHO public health objectives.
These include the GPW13 (WHO’s strategic Thirteenth General Program of Work, covering the period 2019-2023, and which aims to achieve measurable impacts on people’s health at the country level; the CCSIII, which is the third generation country cooperation strategy under WHO auspices; and the National Health Strategic Development Plan (NHSDP).
The WHO expert balances public health policy monitoring and evaluation with working with partners and program management to bridge the gap between scientific, medical, and governmental organizations to ensure the achievement of universal health coverage in line with sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
The AUN-Atiku Institute, formerly the AUN-AtikuCenter for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development, was established in 2014 by President Margee Ensign who presided over the first lecture in the series delivered by the globally-acclaimed Latin American development activist, Professor Martin Burt titled, “The Poverty Elimination Approach.”
The AUN-Atiku Institute coordinates all AUN’s development initiatives, providing community-based solutions in the areas of education, livelihood support, youth empowerment, sustainability and peacebuilding.
