Disease Control

South Africa’s FF Plus calls for stronger controls to contain FMD

(Photo credit: Bayer) The Freedom Front Plus has urged authorities to strengthen measures to protect areas that remain free of foot-and-mouth disease, warning that outbreaks are disrupting livestock markets. FF Plus member Wynand Boshoff says the movement of infected animals must be strictly prohibited and that proper documentation proving disease-free status is essential. He identified provincial borders and auction pens as key control points in preventing further spread. Boshoff added […]

27 January, 2026

South Africa

SA Government Says KwaZulu-Natal Outbreak Not Linked to School Virus

S.A's Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has reassured the public that the foot and mouth disease spreading in KwaZulu-Natal does not affect humans and is unrelated to the virus impacting schools. Speaking to the media, Steenhuisen confirmed that red meat remains safe to eat but stresses the urgency of controlling the outbreak, as it threatens South Africa’s export potential, particularly in Asian markets:

22 February, 2025

Health / Medical

WHO launches mpox response plan

The World Health Organisation has launched a global plan to stop new outbreaks and spreading of the Mpox disease through collective national, regional, and global efforts. The suggested plan will cover 6 months starting September 2024 to February 2025.

27 August, 2024

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. […]

26 April, 2024

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 […]

22 April, 2024

Health / Medical

Namibia sees HIV reduction between 2018 and 2022

With the number of HIV cases having decreased between 2018 and 2022, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is targeting to end AIDS as a public threat in Namibia. Here is Executive Director Ben Nangombe with more.

14 March, 2024

Africa

Uganda record increase in Covi-19 cases

Uganda's Health Ministry has issued a warning following a recent surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The government has re-introduced preventive measures in some of the worst affected areas, adding the disease remains a threat. Isabel Nakirya reports.

7 February, 2024

Africa

Cholera outbreak spreads across 12 African countries

The World Health Organisation Africa Region says the cholera outbreak has spread to 12 countries on the continent. As of Thursday, ten-thousand-887 cases and 432 deaths were reported across nine of the country’s ten provinces. WHO Africa emergency health officer, Patrick Otim, says the Lusaka district is the epicenter of the outbreak.

22 January, 2024