insert_link Africa WHO Urges Urgent Action on Mpox Surge in Africa Amid Dangerous Congo Strain The World Health Organization has called for urgent action to address the rising spread of mpox in Africa. Rosamund Lewis, WHO's technical lead for mpox, highlighted the critical need for intervention. Meanwhile, John Claude Udahemuka from the University of Rwanda warned about a highly dangerous strain in Congo's South Kivu province, a mutated version of the clade I mpox. This strain has fatality rates of approximately 5% in adults and […] today26 June, 2024
insert_link Health / Medical What is cervical cancer and how can it be prevented? Answers to key questions By Abba Mallum, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Beatrice M’mboga Akala, University of the Witwatersrand; Maureen Bilinga Tendwa, Rhodes University; Rakiya Saidu, University of Cape Town; Stephen Avery, University of Pennsylvania; Twalib Ngoma, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, and Wil Ngwa, Johns Hopkins University In 2020 the World Health Organization rolled out a global strategy to eradicate cervical cancer by 2030. This is the fourth-most […] today24 June, 2024
insert_link Health / Medical Global pandemic treaty will help fight future threats: top negotiator on how talks are going By Precious Matsoso, University of the Witwatersrand For the past two years the World Health Organization’s 194 member states have been negotiating an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This was driven by the need to ensure the world is better prepared for future pandemics. The outcome of the government-led negotiations was presented to the annual meeting of the World Health Assembly […] today21 June, 2024
insert_link Health / Medical World No Tobacco Day Highlights Need to Shield Youth from Tobacco Industry World No Tobacco Day is celebrated today under the theme 'Protecting children from tobacco industry interference,' which emphasizes shielding youth from tobacco industry influence. This day, initiated by the World Health Organization in 1987, aims to raise awareness of tobacco's health risks and advocate for anti-smoking policies. today31 May, 2024
insert_link Africa Why Nigerian companies topped Africa’s fastest growing list in a difficult year By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency In early 2023, when Nigeria began rolling out its newly designed currency notes, the country was hit by a cash crisis. The reason? Nigeria’s apex bank had put a cap on the maximum amount of hard cash that individuals and corporations could withdraw as part of wider efforts to tame money laundering. While this scarcity of hard cash worsened […] today21 May, 2024
insert_link Environment Charting a New Global Course for Dealing With Illicit Drug Use International Overdose Awareness Day 2022 in Barcelona. The annual UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs session agreed to make a major policy shift on drug use, moving from a criminalization approach toward harm-reduction measures. TELUOBIR/CREATIVE COMMONS This year’s meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna marked a significant shift in policy when it agreed to focus on drug use as a public health issue that required an […] today21 May, 2024
insert_link Africa Snakebites can destroy skin, muscle, and even bone – exciting progress on drugs to treat them By Steven R. Hall, Lancaster University and Nicholas Casewell, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine The World Health Organization estimates that 1.8 million to 2.7 million people are envenomed by snakes annually, resulting in upwards of 138,000 deaths. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, snakebite annually kills between 20,000 and 32,000 people, though a 2022 paper suggests this is likely a gross underestimate. Africa is home to […] today21 May, 2024
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 […] today14 May, 2024
insert_link Africa Two new malaria vaccines are being rolled out across Africa: how they work and what they promise By Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases Malaria incidents are on the rise. There were 249 million cases of this parasitic disease in 2022, five million more than in 2021. Africa suffers more than any other region from malaria, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths worldwide. This year two revolutionary malaria vaccines are being rolled out across the continent. Nadine Dreyer asks Jaishree Raman […] today23 April, 2024
