insert_link Health / Medical How much time should you spend sitting versus standing? New research reveals the perfect mix for optimal health The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock By Christian Brakenridge, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall health and getting good sleep is imperative. However, if exercise in the evening may disrupt our sleep, or make us feel the need to be more sedentary to recover, a key question emerges – what […] todayMay 3, 2024 20
insert_link Health / Medical Why is cancer called cancer? We need to go back to Greco-Roman times for the answer Amna Artist/Shutterstock By Konstantine Panegyres, The University of Melbourne One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, developed a cancer between his groin and scrotum. As the cancer spread, Satyrus had ever greater pains. He was unable to sleep and had convulsions. Advanced cancers in that part of the body […] todayMay 3, 2024 22
insert_link Environment Electricity from farm waste: how biogas could help Malawians with no power By Ehiaze Ehimen, Atlantic Technological University and Thomas Robin, Atlantic Technological University In sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people (more than 50% of the population) are without access to electricity. Malawi has one of the world’s lowest electricity access rates – just 14.1% of the total population have access to the main grid. In rural areas, the electrification access rate is even lower, estimated at 5.6% […] todayMay 2, 2024 26
insert_link Health / Medical Africa has made remarkable vaccination progress, more can be done – report By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency As the 2024 World Immunization Week comes to a close, a recent WHO report has highlighted Africa’s remarkable advancements in vaccine accessibility. According to the report, an estimated 51.2 million lives have been saved through vaccines on the continent over the past five decades. “For every infant life saved over that period, close to 60 years of life are lived,” a […] todayApril 30, 2024 13
insert_link Environment Gum arabic from Africa’s acacia trees in the Sahel is used in hundreds of products: what’s worth knowing By Asgar Ali, University of Nottingham The conflict in Sudan has turned attention to a rarely discussed commodity: gum arabic. This product, the dried sap of certain species of acacia trees, is used mainly as an additive in the soft drinks industry. Sudan accounts for about 70% of global gum arabic exports. Asgar Ali, an expert in sustainable food systems, answers questions about the commodity and its […] todayApril 30, 2024 36
insert_link Africa How expensive it is to be poor: Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté inspires global action against malaria at TED2024 In a stirring address at TED2024, Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté, Head of Medical Entomology and Parasitology at the Research Institute in Health Sciences in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and Principal Investigator of Target Malaria Burkina Faso, shared his journey with malaria and his resolute commitment to eradicating it. Prof. Diabaté's talk shed light on the devastating toll of malaria, particularly in Africa, and stressed the urgent need for transformative solutions. […] todayApril 30, 2024 27
insert_link Health / Medical Namibia marks World Immunisation Week This week is World Immunisation Week, with this year celebrating 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. The World Health Organisation director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says they are calling on world leaders to advocate, support, and fund vaccines and immunisation programmes. The week is marked under the theme of ‘Humanly Possible’. Here is the Minister of Health and Social Services Dr. Kalumbi Shangula for his message. Vaccines Save […] todayApril 29, 2024 34
insert_link Africa Nigeria is pioneering a new vaccine to fight meningitis – why this matters By Idris Mohammed, Gombe State University Nigeria recently became the first country to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains of meningococcus bacteria. The Conversation Africa asked Idris Mohammed, a professor of infectious diseases and immunology and former board chair of Nigeria’s National Programme on Immunisation, to explain the new vaccine and its likely impact. […] todayApril 26, 2024 16
insert_link Health / Medical Namibia celebrates World Malaria Day World Malaria Day is being celebrated today under the theme, “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world”. Despite significant progress in reducing the global burden of malaria between 2000 and 2015, progress has slowed in recent years, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. We contacted Dr Richard Kamwi, the Africa CDC Champion and Ambassador of the Elimination 8 Initiative to find out how Namibia is faring. todayApril 25, 2024 48
