HEALTH - The African Mirror

Jan

29

2021

Budget woes mean South African doctors jobless while hospitals battle COVID-19

COVID-19

KIRTHANA PILLAY WHILE Michelle Cerfontyne was completing her medical training last year, the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed South Africa's understaffed public hospitals, so the young doctor thought she would get a job easily. But when she started applying for posts prospectively in September, there seemed to be no vacancies. Since then, a second wave of the coronavirus in Africa's most industrialised country has far outstripped the first, hitting 20,000 daily cases earlier this month and bringing hospitals closer to breaking point. Yet Cerfontyne's 10 job applications have all been rejected. Nine did not give her an interview. Cerfontyne is one of…

Sep

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Marburg in Guinea: the value of lessons from managing other haemorrhagic outbreaks

HEALTH

AS the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in Africa amid insufficient vaccination rollout, viral haemorrhagic fever has again raised its head. This adds to public health turmoil on the continent where resources to respond to emerging and re-emerging epidemic-prone zoonotic diseases remain limited. MICHELLE J. GROOME, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases JANUSZ PAWESKA, Head of the Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases In the first week of August 2021, a Marburg virus disease outbreak was declared in south-western Guinea. This was the same area in which…

Sep

14

2021

By The African Mirror

After long delay, Congo’s Tshisekedi receives COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19

HEREWARD HOLLAND CONGO’S President Felix Tshisekedi has received his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, after a six-month wait caused by his unwillingness to take the AstraZeneca shot, the government has said. The Democratic Republic of Congo has officially reported 56,000 cases and 1,066 deaths from the coronavirus, though test rates are low in the country of 90 million. The virus has ripped through its ruling elite, killing prominent lawmakers and members of the president's entourage. Help came in March with the delivery of 1.7 million AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX vaccine sharing scheme co-run by the World Health…

Jan

28

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa expects first vaccine doses February 1

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING SOUTH Africa expects the flight carrying its first 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to arrive on February 1, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said yesterday, boosting efforts to curb a second wave of COVID-19 driven by a more contagious variant. The AstraZeneca shots, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), are destined for the country's sorely stretched frontline healthcare workers. South Africa has recorded the most coronavirus infections and deaths on the African continent, at more than 1.4 million cases and over 41,000 deaths to date, and has been battling a second wave of infections dominated by a…

Sep

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Russia to resume flights with Kenya from September 21

COVID-19

RUSSIA will resume passenger flights with Spain, Iraq, Kenya and Slovakia from September 21, the government said on Monday and will increase the number of airports with flights to Turkey and Egypt. Russia imposed wide-ranging travel restrictions at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, many of which remain in force, but has gradually expanded the list of countries for air travel. Russia's coronavirus task force said it had decided flights could resume after it had assessed the epidemiological situation in those countries. From September 21, there will be four return Moscow flights each week with Madrid, Barcelona…

Jan

28

2021

By The African Mirror

Morocco gets half million doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine

COVID-19

MOROCCO has received half a million doses of China's Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine as it prepares to be the first African country to roll out a national immunisation campaign. The consignment is the second batch to arrive in Morocco after 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by India's Serum Institute. The government has announced that it will first start vaccinating health, security, and teaching staff this week and has launched a website for other people to register for the vaccine. The country signed a deal with Sinopharm in August which involved conducting clinical trials in Morocco as well as announcing…

Jan

28

2021

By The African Mirror

Decrying vaccines, Tanzania president says ‘God will protect’ from COVID-19

COVID-19

TANZANIA’S President John Magufuli says no lockdown was planned because God will protect people from COVID-19 while homespun precautions such as steam inhalation were better than vaccines. "Vaccines are not good and if they were good, whites would have brought even HIV/AIDS vaccine," he said in a speech in western Tanzania, contradicting global scientific consensus and advice from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Sep

12

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa ease COVID-19 restrictions

COVID-19

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER BOUYED by lower infection rates, impressive vaccination levels - with over 7-million South African inoculated - the country’s president has eased COVID-19 restrictions, allowing for the sale of alcohol during weekdays, and bigger crowds at gatherings. In a special address to the nation, Ramaphosa said SA will move from Lockdown Level 3 to 2. He also made an impassioned plea to South Africans to get vaccinated. In terms of the relaxed restrictions, the following will apply: Hours of curfew will be 11pm and 4am.Restaurants, bars and gyms will have to close by 10pm.All gatherings will now be…

Jan

28

2021

By The African Mirror

Forgotten but not gone: COVID-19 focus poses new risks to ‘invisible’ leprosy sufferers

HEALTH

RANDY MULYANTO and BEH LIH YI FIRST it was the neighbours who started avoiding Indonesian food hawker Titi Amaliyah. Then regular customers stopped buying her traditional noodle snacks when word spread that she had been diagnosed with leprosy. Since her diagnosis last year, Amaliyah and her family have been dependent on her husband's income from odd jobs, which has dwindled due to the coronavirus pandemic. With three children, they are struggling to put food on the table. "It's a mental burden for me and it affects my family's income," said Amaliyah, 44, who is being treated for the age-old disease…

Sep

12

2021

By The African Mirror

Compulsory COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria? Why it’s illegal, and a bad idea

COVID-19

TWO states in Nigeria – Edo and Ondo – recently announced compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations for adults. Even after a court restrained the Edo State government from going ahead, it insists the order stands. The Federal Government is also considering making COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for civil servants. Abiodun Odusote weighs in on the legality of these orders. ABIODUN ODUSOTE, Senior Lecturer, University of Lagos Do state governments have the legal authority to compel vaccination of adults? At the moment, mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria is illegal. I am not aware of any legislation or regulation that mandates Nigerians to take vaccines.…