insert_link Health / Medical WHO warns that Hepatitis is killing thousands daily The World Health Organisation has warned that the number of daily deaths due to viral hepatitis infections is on the rise. It's the second deadliest infectious disease killing around 1.3 million people per year. todayApril 10, 2024 34
insert_link World Rebuilding Gaza was seen as a ‘Herculean’ task before Oct. 7; six months of bombing has led to crises that will long outlive the war Palestinians look for survivors after a Israeli strike in Gaza on Oct. 31, 2023. AP Photo/Doaa AlBaz Dima Nazzal, Georgia Institute of Technology Over a decade ago, a United Nations report described the Gaza Strip as virtually unlivable, adding that it would require “Herculean efforts” to change that. Today, after six months of bombardment, mass displacement and siege by Israel, the task of rebuilding Gaza seems practically unimaginable. I’m a […] todayApril 9, 2024 19
insert_link Lifestyle Loneliness can kill, and new research shows middle-aged Americans are particularly vulnerable The desire to belong is a fundamental human need. Oliver Rossi/Stone via Getty Images By Frank J. Infurna, Arizona State University Middle-aged Americans are lonelier than their European counterparts. That’s the key finding of my team’s recent study, published in American Psychologist. Our study identified a trend that has been evolving for multiple generations, and affects both baby boomers and Gen Xers. Middle-aged adults in England and Mediterranean Europe […] todayApril 8, 2024 13
insert_link Africa Have you ever suffered intimate partner abuse? We asked girls in Malawi and 40% said yes By Anthony Idowu Ajayi, African Population and Health Research Center and Elita Chamdimba, University of Malawi Intimate partner violence starts early. Around one in four girls aged between 15 and 19 worldwide have already been subjected to physical or sexual violence. Girls who experience abuse in their childhood face increased and disproportionate levels of intimate partner violence later in life. Pregnant and parenting girls are even more exposed […] todayApril 8, 2024 6
insert_link Africa South Africa’s crucial water supplies from Lesotho: what the six-month shutdown means for industry, farming and residents By Ifedotun Aina, University of Cape Town The main water supply to South Africa’s economic hub, greater Johannesburg in the Gauteng province, and to the country’s breadbasket in the Free State, is scheduled to be cut off for six months. Maintenance work on the 37 kilometre Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel is due to begin in October 2024. Ifedotun Victor Aina, a senior researcher at the Water […] todayApril 8, 2024 21
insert_link 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 […] todayMarch 28, 2024 34
insert_link Environment Venomous snakes could start migrating in large numbers if we hit 5ºC warming By Pablo Ariel Martinez, Universidade Federal de Sergipe A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into account climate change predictions about changes to the current habitats of 209 venomous snakes, and mapped where those environments were found elsewhere. Based on this, they predict that snakes were likely to migrate […] todayMarch 28, 2024 66
insert_link Lifestyle Zulu culture and sexual orientation: South African study reveals the health costs of stigma By Ikekhwa Albert Ikhile, University of South Africa Same-sex relationships are legal in South Africa and protected by the constitution. Unfair discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is against the law. But in practice many cultures don’t necessarily see this as a right. Traditional Zulu culture, for example, perceives same-sex relationships and sexual intercourse as taboo and unAfrican. Statements like “real men are not gay” […] todayMarch 27, 2024 31
insert_link Health / Medical Medical science has made great strides in fighting TB, but reducing poverty is the best way to end this disease By Tom Nyirenda, Stellenbosch University Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis. Even though the disease is both preventable and curable, it kills 1.5 million people each year, making it the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Over 25% of these deaths occur in African countries. The World Health Organization has developed a strategy to reduce TB deaths by 95% by 2035. It’s a monumental task. […] todayMarch 26, 2024 17
