insert_link Environment Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands Public water shortages have left people scrambling for alternatives on many of the islands, including Cuba. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images By Farah Nibbs, University of Maryland, Baltimore County In the popular imagination, the Caribbean is paradise, an exotic place to escape to. But behind the images of balmy beaches and lush hotel grounds lies a crisis, the likes of which its residents have never experienced. Caribbean […] todayMay 17, 2024 10
insert_link South Africa South Africa will be president of the G20 in 2025: two much-needed reforms it should drive By Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria South Africa will play an important international role in 2025 as president of the G20. The G20 is a group of 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union. Between them they represent 85% of global economy, 75% of world trade and 67% of global population. The G20 defines itself as the premier multilateral forum […] todayMay 15, 2024 13
insert_link 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 […] todayMay 15, 2024 2
insert_link 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 […] todayMay 14, 2024 14
insert_link 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 […] todayMay 14, 2024 14
insert_link 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. todayMay 13, 2024 12
insert_link Africa Kenya floods raise cholera risk as WHO records 44 cases At least 44 cholera cases have been reported in Kenya’s Tana River county, as flooding raises the risk of the spread of water-borne diseases. A statement by the World Health Organisation which cites the numbers, says Kenyan officials supported by WHO and other agencies have been monitoring the health situation and response around the country in the wake of the floods. The flooding, according to BBC Africa has affected more […] todayMay 9, 2024 2
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 19
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 16
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.
