insert_link Africa WHO approves new oral simplified cholera vaccine World Health Organization's has approved a new oral vaccine for cholera. The oral vaccine for cholera received prequalification by the WHO on 12 April 2024. The inactivated oral vaccine Euvichol-S has a similar efficacy to existing vaccines but a simplified formulation, allowing opportunities to rapidly increase production capacity. There were 473 000 cholera cases reported to WHO in 2022 -- double the number from 2021. Further increase of cases by 700 […] today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Senior FAO official warns of real risk of famine in Sudan Sudan’s food security crisis is a matter of deep concern with a very real risk there could be famine there, Rein Paulsen the Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience has told UN News. The FAO is supporting vulnerable farms to boost crop production and is implementing famine prevention strategies, including vaccinating animals. today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Johannesburg to host 2024 Africa Children’s Summit The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund says the 2024 Africa Children’s Summit will play a vital role in empowering the continent’s children. The SABC reports that the summit will be held in Johannesburg from 9 to 12 August. The fund’s CEO Doctor Linda Ncube-Nkomo, “The summit is a platform for children’s voices to be heard and what we want to get out of it is a reversal of what happens, where […] today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Insurance payouts expected for some Southern African drought hit countries A drought driven by the El Nino weather pattern is likely to trigger insurance payouts to four southern African countries that took out cover with an agency of the African Union. Bloomberg reports that Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique will receive payments at the end of the harvesting season, according to current projections, African Risk Capacity said in a statement but the payments are unlikely to meet regional needs. today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Blue whales: first discovery near Seychelles in decades – what our study found By Jeremy Kiszka, Florida International University Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24-30 metres in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates suggest that there are only around 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in the world. Their populations experienced a 89-97% decline due to commercial whaling activities worldwide that started in the North […] today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Lagos’ slum dwellers are excluded from decisions that affect them. 3 ways to change that By Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Crawford University Lagos is a city of two halves: money dripping in the corridors of corporate offices, and stagnant water dripping in the slums that are home to over 20 million. Residents of informal settlements grapple with the daily challenges that come with inadequate infrastructure, limited access to essential services, and social exclusion. Social exclusion means being excluded from participating wholly in the […] today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa 13 Dead and 40 Injured in Road Accident in Nigeria Thirteen people have died, and 40 others injured in an accident in Kaduna state, northwest Nigeria. The incident occured around 11pm on Saturday as reported from Jos by our Nigeria correspondent Tesem Akende. today22 April, 2024
insert_link Africa How to get vaccines to remote areas? In Sierra Leone they’re delivered by foot, boat or motorbike By Niccolo Francesco Meriggi, University of Oxford In Sierra Leone almost 59% of the population live in remote, rural areas. Roads may be non-existent or in bad condition, making it very difficult for rural dwellers to access healthcare. This is one of the key reasons why COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country are low. During an innovative vaccine programme mobile vaccine clinics were dispatched to the furthest […] today19 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Researchers urgently call for action against the DRC’s new Mpox strain Scientists have identified a new strain of the mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo that spreads rapidly among humans. The researchers are calling for swift action to avert another global mpox outbreak. The disease previously known as monkeypox was reported in several countries in Europe and North America in 2022. Chris Ocamringa has more from Kinshasa. today18 April, 2024
