HEALTH - The African Mirror

Feb

27

2025

What do I do with expired medicine? Don’t use it, for a start…

HEALTH

WHEN last did a headache have you reaching into your medicine cabinet – and finding a bottle of aspirin that expired three years ago? Did you take it anyway? And, if you decided instead to get rid of those out-of-date painkillers, how did you do it? If you chose to throw it in the garbage or flush it down the toilet, you’re far from alone: a 2020 research review found that “disposal of pharmaceuticals by garbage and sewer is still the most common method in many countries with the absence of the proper disposal of expired medications from the patient…

Feb

21

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

African startups stepping up to close women’s healthcare gaps

HEALTH

WITH government health budgets under strain and international funding shrinking, private healthtech startups are stepping in to bridge critical gaps in women’s healthcare across Africa. From AI-powered cancer diagnostics to maternal care platforms, women-focused health techs are transforming healthcare access on the continent, filling the void left by limited public investment. Claudine Lee, a general practitioner and diabetologist in Hilton, South Africa, highlights that one of the most pressing needs in women's health is better access to speculum examinations — essential for accurate and timely diagnosis of STIs and conducting critical pap smears. While she believes these issues are best…

Feb

15

2025

By MARVELLOUS ADEOYE; MARIACHIARA DI CESARE and MARK R MILLER

Heart attacks and high blood pressure are on the rise in Africa – what does air pollution have to do with it?

HEALTH

AIR pollution has an alarming effect on global health. In 2019, it was responsible for 4.2 million global deaths. Inhaling air pollution harms health in many different ways beyond simply having effects on the lungs. Over 70% of air pollution deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases – diseases of the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attacks and strokes. For many years, cardiovascular diseases were considered to be more of a problem in more prosperous countries, but this is not the case anymore. In Africa, cardiovascular diseases are now the second leading cause of death after respiratory infections and…

Feb

14

2025

By SAMUEL AJAYI and YEMI R. RAJI

West Africans have a high risk of kidney disease – new study confirms genetic cause

HEALTH

KIDNEY disease, leading to kidney failure, afflicts disproportionately more black people than white people. Thus, there is a huge burden of kidney healthcare costs among black people all over the world. For instance, in the US, although the black population is only 13% to 14% of the total, black people account for one-third of the patients with end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplantation. Hypertension, diabetes and HIV, which also cause kidney failure, tend to cause more severe kidney damage and rapid deterioration in black people than in white people. For many decades, researchers wondered why these differences exist. It…

Feb

13

2025

By ISAAC KISIANGANI; MICHELE RAMSAY and MICHELLE KAMP

Living with multiple chronic conditions cuts lives short – but Africans are overlooked in research

HEALTH

WHEN a person suffers from two or more long-term health conditions at the same time this is known as multimorbidity. The World Health Organization says multimorbidity puts patients at greater risk and complicates primary care. It also drives up healthcare costs. People with more than one condition face a higher risk of early death and poorer quality of life. They may also have to take multiple medications. Polypharmacy increases the risk of harmful drug interactions and side effects, and patients find it harder to stick to treatment. In African countries, the situation is further complicated by several disease burdens converging.…

Feb

11

2025

By CATRIONA WAITT; KARLEEN GRIBBLE; MIJA VERVERS; PETER WAITT and PRINCE IMANI-MUSIMWA

Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies

HEALTH

BREASTFEEDING is so important for child health that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef recommend that babies should be breastfed within an hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then continue breastfeeding in combination with other foods for two years or more. Infectious disease emergencies can threaten breastfeeding and the lives of mothers and babies. Depending on the disease, there is a risk of passing infection to the baby by close contact or (rarely) through breast milk. There is also the risk of harm to breastfed infants from medication or vaccination of…

Feb

08

2025

By HEATHER D. FLOWE; ARPITA GHOSH; and JAMES ROCKEY

Female genital mutilation is a leading cause of death for girls where it’s practised – new study

HEALTH

FEMALE genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is a deeply entrenched cultural practice that affects around 200 million women and girls. It’s practised in at least 25 African countries, as well as parts of the Middle East and Asia and among immigrant populations globally. It is a harmful traditional practice that involves removing or damaging female genital tissue. Often it’s “justified” by cultural beliefs about controlling female sexuality and marriageability. FGM/C causes immediate and lifelong physical and psychological harm to girls and women, including severe pain, complications during childbirth, infections and trauma. We brought together our expertise in economics and gender-based…

Feb

07

2025

By The African Mirror

US health funding cuts: what Nigeria stands to lose

HEALTH

US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization is threatening funding for critical health programmes like HIV/Aids and tuberculosis in different parts of the world, including Nigeria. The Conversation Africa’s Adejuwon Soyinka asked professor of virology and former WHO Africa regional virologist Oyewale Tomori why Nigeria is heavily dependent on US funding for some of its health programmes, what’s at risk and how to mitigate the impact. How dependent is Nigeria on US funding for health? Sadly, Nigeria and many African countries are too dependent on US funding and other donor funding for basic…

Jan

27

2025

By YAP BOUM

Mpox in the DRC: residents of the slum at the centre of Kinshasa’s epidemic have little chance of avoiding this major health crisis

HEALTH

WALKING through the crowded streets of the Pakadjuma neighbourhood in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, I am struck by the vibrant atmosphere around me. Children play happily in puddles, surrounded by piles of plastic bags and open ditches of sewage. Shacks patched together from pieces of corrugated iron crowd the settlement. Loud rumba music blasts through the air as young people enjoy themselves in open bars, waiting for grilled pork or chicken to be served. Sex workers sit outside tin shacks in narrow alleyways, calling for customers. Nearby a Médecins Sans Frontières triage centre is the only…

Jan

23

2025

By The African Mirror

Breaking barriers in malaria research: Dr Henrietta Mensah-Brown’s pioneering journey

HEALTH

IN the fight against one of Africa's deadliest diseases, Dr Henrietta Mensah-Brown stands at the forefront of groundbreaking research that could transform how we combat malaria. As a distinguished Ghanaian scientist, her work on understanding malaria's molecular mechanisms isn't just advancing scientific knowledge – it's saving lives. From her early days as an undergraduate at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Mensah-Brown has charted an impressive path in medical research. Her pivotal moment came during an internship at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, where she discovered her passion for using science to address Africa's pressing health…