Rwanda reports six deaths from Marburg virus outbreak

Rwanda reports six deaths from Marburg virus outbreak

Six people have died from a Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda, primarily affecting healthcare workers in an intensive care unit. According to the BBC, Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana reported that twenty cases have been identified since the outbreak was confirmed on Friday. Marburg, which can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, is related to Ebola and is transmitted to humans from fruit bats, spreading through contact with the […]

September 30, 2024 26

Africa

WHO approves first Mpox vaccine for Africa

The World Health Organization has approved the use of an Mpox vaccine for the first time, which it says should facilitate “timely and increased access” for millions at risk in Africa where the latest outbreak has infected more than 20,000 so far this year. Matt Wells from UN news reports.

September 16, 2024 16

Africa

Nigeria mandates health form for incoming air passengers

Nigeria's government has directed air passengers coming into the country to fill out a health declaration form as part of measures against the Mpox outbreak and other infectious diseases. According to The Vanguard, the mpox strain known as Clade Ib, which has been rapidly spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since September, is both more deadly and more easily transmitted than earlier strains. This strain, transmitted […]

August 12, 2024 35

Health / Medical

New TB skin test could offer cheaper and easier way to detect the disease

By Yvette Naudé, University of Pretoria Detecting tuberculosis early could play a significant role in eradicating the world’s most deadly infectious disease. The World Health Organization says 1.5 million people die from this devastating disease each year. People infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the TB bacteria that attack the lungs, often do not know that they have it until their symptoms become severe. Two out of every […]

March 28, 2024 39

Namibia

Namibia committed to keeping leprosy in check: Shangula

Health and Social Services Minister said the Namibian government is committed to ensuring that all treatment success rates for leprosy remain high to prevent reinfection and community transmission. Shangula in a speech to commemorate World Leprosy Day at Katima Mulilo on Monday said his ministry has developed tools to ensure that leprosy survivors are periodically re-assessed and that those diagnosed with the disease have been put on treatment. In the […]

January 30, 2024 22

Africa

Neglected tropical diseases persist in the world’s poorest places: four reads about hurdles and progress

By Nadine Dreyer, via The Conversation It’s sobering to reflect that “neglected tropical diseases” are referred to as “neglected” because they persist in the poorest, most marginalised communities even after being wiped out in more developed parts of the world. A variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins, cause neglected tropical diseases, which include dengue, chikungunya, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and yaws. They inflict tremendous suffering because […]

January 30, 2024 17

Health / Medical

How Fringe Anti-Science Views Infiltrated Mainstream Politics — And What It Means in 2024

People protest against covid-19 vaccine mandates outside of Los Angeles Unified School District's offices on May 10, 2022. (DAVID CRANE/MEDIANEWS GROUP/LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS VIA GETTY IMAGES) By Amy Maxmen via KFF Health News Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year low in 2023. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, puts about 250,000 kindergartners at risk for measles, which often leads to hospitalization and can cause death. In recent […]

January 29, 2024 19

World

Gaza Is Cleaning Up Its Piles of Garbage From the War, Including Human Waste

A new Unicef cash-assistance program is helping Gazans remove piles of garbage accrued during the war, including human feces. The goal is to stop the spread of infectious diseases in the enclave as millions of civilians are forced into flimsy shelters or to live in the streets. By Dawn Clancy via PassBlue Bombs, bullets and the suffocating weight of bodies trapped under slabs of fallen concrete where houses once stood […]

January 24, 2024 17

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.

January 22, 2024 32