insert_link Health / Medical SA’s Border Management Authority implements preparedness plan for Mpox South Africa’s Border Management Authority commissioner, Michael Masiapato has announced that the authority's port health officials have developed an outbreak preparedness plan that outlines the response in dealing with Mpox. Spokesperson, Mmemme Mogotsi says 13 cases have been confirmed by the Department of Health. todayJune 25, 2024 16
insert_link Namibia Ministry of Education launches nationwide consultation on future school calendar system The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture is conducting consultations on the school calendar system for the 2025 academic year and beyond. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic out-break in 2020, the Ministry transitioned from a trimester calendar system to reduce the spread of the virus during the winter months when cases increased. todayJune 10, 2024 20
insert_link Environment Bird flu: what is it, how does it spread and how can we protect ourselves from it? By Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu, University of Ibadan There has been an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. The viral disease, also called avian influenza, killed 441 chickens out of a flock of 641 on a farm. There have been several outbreaks bird flu across Africa over the past 18 years. Nigeria was the first African country to report an outbreak in February 2006. […] todayMarch 25, 2024 9
insert_link Africa What’s behind the worldwide shortage of cholera vaccines? For starters, they’re only made by one company By Edina Amponsah-Dacosta, University of Cape Town In February 2024 the World Health Organization announced southern Africa was suffering the deadliest regional outbreak of cholera in at least a decade. At the epicentre of the disaster were Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where cholera cases surged more than four-fold between 2022 and 2023. Over 1,600 deaths were reported in the three countries. Already 2024 is threatening to be […] todayMarch 12, 2024 22
insert_link Health / Medical Measles is on the rise around the world – we can’t let vaccination rates falter fotohay/Shutterstock Jaya Dantas, Curtin University In recent weeks a series of measles alerts have been issued around Australia, including in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, after the identification of a small number of cases in travellers returning from overseas. Meanwhile, places such as the United States and the United Kingdom have been contending with larger measles outbreaks. In fact, the World Health Organization reported a 45-fold increase in measles […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 11
insert_link Health / Medical How worried should we be about the pneumonia outbreak in China? C Raina MacIntyre, UNSW Sydney; Ashley Quigley, UNSW Sydney; Haley Stone, UNSW Sydney, and Rebecca Dawson, UNSW Sydney Reports of a surge in pneumonia-like illness primarily affecting children in northern China have captured our attention. The last time we heard about a mysterious respiratory outbreak leading to overcrowding in hospitals was the beginning of the COVID pandemic, so it’s not entirely surprising this has caused some alarm. On November 22 […] todayNovember 28, 2023 5
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
