Patients to benefit from cataract surgical campaign

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 […]

May 15, 2024 54

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 […]

May 15, 2024 9

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 […]

May 15, 2024 21

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 […]

May 14, 2024 31

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' […]

May 14, 2024 102

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 […]

May 14, 2024 30

Africa

From eco-friendly roofing and waste collection to AI-powered healthcare and farming, 2024 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation finalists revealed

Four innovators from Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda have been selected from a shortlist of 16 to compete for the £50,000 Africa Prize in its tenth anniversary year · Their innovations address recycling in construction, AI tools for healthcare and farming, and reengineered waste collection · The three runners up will each receive £15,000, and a £5,000 prize – titled ‘One to Watch’ – will be awarded to […]

May 14, 2024 33

Health / Medical

WHO says vaccine patches could revolutionise measles prevention

A vaccine patch could be a safe and effective alternative way to protect young children against measles, a trial by the World Health Organisation in The Gambia has suggested. Dr. Birgit Giersing, team lead at the WHO vaccine product and delivery research unit to UN News that the patches could be a major breakthrough in protecting vulnerable populations from preventable diseases.

May 13, 2024 47

Health / Medical

Becoming a dad can be scary. Here’s how to be the best father for your kids

By nurturing strong father-child attachment, fathers contribute to the growth, resilience and happiness of their children. Goodboy Picture Company/Getty Images By Tawanda Makusha, Human Sciences Research Council It is natural to feel apprehensive about the responsibilities that come with parenthood – the financial obligations, the emotional and practical support, and the lifelong commitment. And parenting takes many forms. In my case I became a father for the first […]

May 13, 2024 21