HEALTH - The African Mirror

Mar

26

2025

UNAIDS chief warns of ‘real surge’ in deaths without US funding

HEALTH

AMID continuing uncertainty about the impact of deep US funding cuts on humanitarian work worldwide, the head of the UN agency coordinating the fight against HIV-AIDS warned that an additional 6.3 million people will die in the next four years unless the support is reinstated. “We will see a …real surge in this disease - [we] will see it come back and we see people dying the way we saw them in the 90s and in 2000s,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, pointing to a “tenfold increase” from the 600,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded globally in 2023. “We also expect…

Mar

24

2025

By ADURAGBEMI BANKE-THOMAS and ITOHAN OSAYANDE

Nigeria offers free caesareans to save mothers’ lives – but it’s not enough

HEALTH

NIGERIA’S government launched an initiative in 2024 offering free emergency caesarean sections to poor and vulnerable women, in a plan to bring down the high number of mothers dying in childbirth. Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas, a maternal and newborn health researcher, and Itohan Osayande, a teaching fellow in public health, discuss the initiative and how it can achieve its objectives. How serious is the maternal mortality challenge in Nigeria? Of the 287,000 pregnant women who died in 2020, almost a third were from Nigeria. At 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, Nigeria has the third highest maternal mortality rate globally. This is…

Mar

20

2025

By ROXY DAVIS

Surf therapy for children with disabilities: how it’s changing lives in South Africa

HEALTH

CHILDREN with disabilities face significant challenges in South Africa. Firstly there are delayed diagnoses which can lead to complications. The high cost of healthcare and little financial support for their families can limit their access to healthcare services altogether. There is also little access to rehabilitation services. Inadequate facilities and a shortage of trained personnel are just some of the obstacles. I started thinking about ways to get over these obstacles when I noticed that people with disabilities weren’t well represented in my sport. As a competitive surfer and instructor, I had always celebrated the ocean’s ability to inspire confidence…

Mar

08

2025

By SUSAN GOLDSTEIN

Sugary drinks are a killer: a 20% tax would save lives and rands in South Africa

HEALTH

NON-COMMUNICABLE diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions account for over 70% of global deaths annually. In South Africa, non-communicable diseases cause more than half of all deaths. Diabetes ranks as the second leading cause after tuberculosis. A major contributor to rising diabetes rates is the high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including cool drinks. The World Health Organization recommends a tax of at least 20% on sugary drinks as an effective tool to help reduce consumption and curb related health risks. South Africa introduced a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, officially known as the Health Promotion Levy, in 2018. The…

Mar

05

2025

By The African Mirror

World Adherence Day tackles critical health challenge

HEALTH

In a groundbreaking initiative to address one of the most pressing issues in global health, the World Heart Federation (WHF) is set to launch the first World Adherence Day on March 27, 2025, with a powerful campaign dubbed #DontMissaMoment. The campaign highlights a critical problem in healthcare: treatment non-adherence. According to recent data, only 50% of patients in high-income countries and an even smaller percentage in developing nations consistently follow their prescribed treatment plans, leading to devastating health consequences. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for approximately 75% of global deaths, resulting in at least 43 million annual fatalities. In South…

Feb

27

2025

By RENIER COETZEE

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.…