HEALTH - The African Mirror

Jun

05

2021

Forty years on, AIDS is not over

HEALTH

ASH KOTAK FOURTY years ago, on June 5, 1981, the first cases of what became known as AIDS were reported in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the U.S. national public health agency, reported, “Five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) among previously healthy young men in Los Angeles,” in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). All were “homosexuals”. Two had died. The cases suggested, “a disease acquired through sexual contact”. Now at the midpoint of the almost forgotten HIV/AIDS pandemic, 77.5 million people have caught HIV, according to UNAIDS. Of those, 34.7 million…

Jun

06

2021

By The African Mirror

The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo: its health effects will be felt for a long time

HEALTH

The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), led to the deaths of at least 30 people. There could however be longer term health implications for residents of the area. Patrick DMC Katoto, who has studied the health effects of volcanoes in the DRC, provides insights into the health risks that a volcanic eruption brings. PATRICK DE MARIE C. KATOTO, Lecturer, Université catholique de Bukavu What are the main health concerns for communities? Volcanic eruptions can cause catastrophic destruction. They are responsible for human casualties, infrastructural devastation and can pollute the environment…

May

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Fund for vaccine production in Africa

COVID-19

GLOBAL development groups including International Finance Corp (IFC) said they will explore helping African producers such as Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd boost vaccine manufacturing in Africa, which received relatively few COVID-19 immunizations produced by rich nations. The news comes after the European Union last week promised 1 billion euros ($1.22 billion) to build vaccination manufacturing hubs in Africa. France's President Emmanuel Macron also promised on Friday to help the continent produce more vaccines locally. IFC's partners, including U.S. International Development Finance Corp (DFC), Proparco and German Development Finance Institution, said they will provide financing to manufacturers to strengthen vaccine production…

May

30

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 kills 32 DRC MPs

COVID-19

THIRTY-two members of parliament in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or about 5% of the total, have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, the vice president of the National Assembly said. Even as Congo, like many other African countries, has officially reported relatively few cases and deaths, the virus has rippled through the corridors of power, killing prominent lawmakers and members of the president's entourage. "The latest update announced by the government reports 31,248 confirmed cases and 780 deaths, among them 32 members of parliament," said Jean-Marc Kabund, the first vice president of the lower house of…

May

31

2021

By The African Mirror

Tobacco control: South Africa must do more to help people quit smoking

HEALTH

EACH year on 31 May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hosts World No Tobacco Day. The day aims to spread awareness about the risks of tobacco use and to encourage governments to implement effective tobacco-control policies. This year’s theme challenges current smokers to “Commit to Quit”. SAM FILBY, Research Officer, Research on the Economics of Excisable Products,, University of Cape Town CORNÉ VAN WALBEEK, Professor at the School of Economics and Principal Investigator of the Economics of Tobacco Control Project, University of Cape Town The health benefits of quitting smoking are well-documented. Smokers who quit smoking can avoid premature death,…

May

30

2021

By The African Mirror

What is ‘femtech’ and why are investors taking note?

HEALTH

SHARON KIMATHI NO longer a women's-only industry, the so-called femtech sector is grabbing the attention of investors betting on a worldwide boom in products and services designed to meet women's often-neglected healthcare needs. From apps offering expert online medical advice to home fertility testing kits, the global femtech market is expected to reach $60 billion by 2027, according to a study by Emergen Research, a research and consulting firm. Coined by Ida Tin - co-founder and chief executive of Danish menstruation-tracking app Clue, the term femtech can refer to software, diagnostics, products or services that harness technology to address women's…

Jun

04

2021

By The African Mirror

Ghana player tests positive for COVID-19

COVID-19

A player on Ghana's Under-24 team has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after arriving in Japan for a friendly match, the Japan Football Association (JFA) has announced. The player had been isolated from the rest of the squad and staff, who are themselves isolated at a designated facility, the JFA said in a statement. The news comes just two days after the JFA cancelled a friendly match against Jamaica as 10 of their players were unable to board a flight to Japan due to coronavirus testing issues. Japan is battling a fourth wave of COVID-19 just 50 days before…

Jun

04

2021

By The African Mirror

France donates 184,000 doses to Senegal

COVID-19

FRANCE has donated 184,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to Senegal through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, the programme's sponsors said in a statement. This is the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines Senegal has received through the global scheme after an initial 324,000 AstraZeneca doses arrived in March. The arrival of the latest batch is timely. Senegal's supply of vaccines is running low just as thousands of people are due for their second jabs. Most of the country's 16 million citizens have yet to receive a first dose. Around 456,000 people in Senegal had been vaccinated as of Tuesday, programme sponsors…

Jun

04

2021

By The African Mirror

Biden says U.S. to send 25 million COVID-19 vaccines around the world

COVID-19

JEFF MASON and CARL O’DONNELL US President Joe Biden has laid out how his country would share some 25 million of a planned 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with the rest of the world. The United States will donate nearly 19 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine supply through the COVAX international vaccine sharing program, he said in a statement. Through COVAX, some 6 million doses would go to Latin America and the Caribbean, about 7 million doses to South and Southeast Asia and roughly 5 million for Africa. The remaining doses, amounting to just over 6 million, would go…

May

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Macron pledges help for Africa

COVID-19

PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron has announced that France would invest in boosting the production of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, to help close a gap in the availability of the shots between African and Western nations. Speaking at a joint news conference with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, Macron said Africa made up around 20% of the world's need for vaccines but only 1% of vaccine production. "How do we boost the production of vaccines on the African continent?" he said. "On this, we will this afternoon have an investment strategy to help these industrials produce more, and quite quickly."…