insert_link Health / Medical Assisted dying: Canada grapples with plans to extend euthanasia to people suffering solely from mental illness David Pereiras/Shutterstock By Gemma Ware, The Conversation For decades, people who want to end their life with the help of a doctor, and who have the means to do so, have travelled to a handful of countries, commonly Switzerland, for euthanasia. But gradually, more countries around the world have begun to permit some form of assisted dying. Politicians in a number of others, including Ireland, Scotland and […] todayMay 20, 2024 16
insert_link Africa Mapping malaria in Africa: climate change study predicts where mosquitoes will breed in future Water bodies such as the Nile River, pictured here running through Juba in South Sudan, are included in the new model. Frontpage By Mark Smith, University of Leeds and Chris Thomas, University of Lincoln The relationship between climate and malaria transmission is complex and has been the subject of intense study for some three decades. Mosquito vector populations sufficient to maintain malaria transmission occur within a […] todayMay 20, 2024 20
insert_link Africa Chad hepatitis E outbreak: how the dangerous liver disease spreads and how it can be treated By Kolawole Oluseyi Akande, University of Ibadan The World Health Organization recently announced an outbreak of hepatitis E in the eastern Ouaddai province of Chad. Between January and April 2024, 2,093 suspected hepatitis E cases were reported from two health districts. The Conversation Africa asked Kolawole Oluseyi Akande, a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist, to explain the causes, symptoms, spread and treatment of hepatitis E. What is […] todayMay 17, 2024 19
insert_link Health / Medical Patients to benefit from cataract surgical campaign The Otjozondjupa Health Directorate and the National Blindness Prevention Programme are conducting a cataract surgical campaign with support from teams at the Windhoek Central Hospital and international volunteers from Germany and the US. The campaign starts in Rundu next month, where over 700 patients will be treated. The team will then move to Engela in July to help more than 600 patients before continuing to Oshana and concluding the campaign […] todayMay 15, 2024 36
insert_link Health / Medical Navel gazing: checking your belly button can tell you a lot about your health By Dan Baumgardt, University of Bristol Navels, belly buttons, innies or outies … whatever term you use, your umbilicus may have plenty to tell you about the state of your health. For some, they are the thing of nightmares – omphalophobia (the fear of belly buttons) is a real condition. For others, they are a fashion accessory to be shown off in a crop top, or decorated […] todayMay 15, 2024 8
insert_link Africa BGI Genomics launches first African public health initiative to screen cervical cancer. BGI Genomics have recently launched their first cervical cancer screening program in Africa with Rwanda being being the first beneficiary. The program that was initiated in Ngoma District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda will provide 20,000 Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA tests for local women, aiming to enhance cervical cancer screening and prevention efforts and improve local precision medical testing capabilities. The launching event was attended by Wang Xuekun, Chinese […] todayMay 15, 2024 17
insert_link Africa African health experts warn of climate change & rising vector-borne diseases Climate change has become a pressing public health crisis around the world, as disease patterns worsen and emerge in regions where they did not exist before. Health experts are particularly concerned about the role of climate change in the rise of vector-borne diseases in Africa’s low- and middle-income countries. Rising temperatures can expand and extend the life cycle of disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks and parasites. Health experts discussed […] todayMay 14, 2024 30
insert_link Africa A booming fitness culture in Africa is attracting global players By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency The African debut of popular global workout competition, the “World Series of Fitness Racing” in 2024 is the latest testament to an unfolding fitness culture revolution on the continent. Hyrox, through its African subsidiary, Hyrox Africa, is set to host an event at the Cape Town Convention Centre in South Africa on September 21st. The Hyrox challenge involves eight 'functional' […] todayMay 14, 2024 56
insert_link Health / Medical 154 million lives saved in 50 years: 5 charts on the global success of vaccines By Meru Sheel, University of Sydney and Alexandra Hogan, UNSW Sydney We know vaccines have been a miracle for public health. Now, new research led by the World Health Organization has found vaccines have saved an estimated 154 million lives in the past 50 years from 14 different diseases. Most of these have been children under five, and around two-thirds children under one year old. In 1974 […] todayMay 14, 2024 27
