HEALTH - The African Mirror

Mar

24

2023

Equatorial Guinea confirms eight more Marburg cases

HEALTH

EIGHT new confirmed cases of Marburg disease have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. This brings the total of laboratory-confirmed cases to nine and probable cases to 20 since the outbreak of the deadly disease similar to Ebola was declared in February. Twenty deaths have been reported. Of the eight new cases, two were reported from the Central African country's Kie-Ntem province, four from the Litoral province and two from Centre-Sur province, the WHO said in a statement. The areas reporting cases are about 150 kilometres (93 miles) apart, suggesting a wider transmission of the virus, the…

Mar

11

2023

By The African Mirror

Over 90% of Rwandans have health insurance – the health minister tells an expert what went right

HEALTH

IN 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted universal health coverage as one of the sustainable development goals. The aim of universal health coverage is to ensure that every person and community, irrespective of their circumstances, has access to the health services they need, at the time and place they need it, without the risk of financial devastation. Many countries have committed to the concept, which has resulted in numerous health reforms. The World Health Organization recognises Rwanda as one of the countries that are performing well on the goal of universal health coverage. The Cochrane Centre summarises and disseminates…

Mar

28

2023

By The African Mirror

TB kills 75,000 children in Africa every year: how this can stop

HEALTH

TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is a preventable and curable disease. Half of the world’s 30 highest TB burden countries are in Africa. In many of these countries, TB is the leading cause of death across age groups, but especially among children. Globally, TB is the leading cause of death by any single infectious agent (above COVID-19 and HIV). Author GRAEME HODDINOTT, Socio-behavioural Scientist and Senior Researcher, Stellenbosch University The people most affected by TB are often the most socio-economically marginalised, with the fewest reserves to take them through the treatment journey. This is extremely challenging, with complex, often delayed diagnosis, many months…

Mar

02

2023

By The African Mirror

Cough syrup can harm children: experts warn of contamination risks

HEALTH

THE recent deaths of over 300 children in Africa and Asia have prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn about the use of “substandard and falsified” medical products. The organisation called for more efforts to protect children from contaminated medicine. Toxicologists Winston Morgan and Shazma Bashir unpack the story. Authors WINSTON MORGAN, Professor of Toxicology, Equity and Inclusive Practice, Director of Impact and Innovation, University of East London SHAZMA BASHIR, Postdoctoral fellow, University of East London What caused the WHO to issue these warnings? Over the last five months, the WHO has issued three alerts warning people not to…

Feb

15

2023

By The African Mirror

Equatorial Guinea confirms country’s first Marburg virus disease outbreak -WHO

HEALTH

EQUATORIAL Guinea has confirmed its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious and deadly disease similar to Ebola, following the deaths of at least nine people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. The small Central African country quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement last week in its Kie-Ntem province after detecting an unknown hemorrhagic fever. Neighboring Cameroon also restricted movement along its border over concerns about contagion. In addition to the nine deaths, Equatorial Guinea has reported 16 suspected cases of Marburg virus with symptoms including fever, fatigue and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea, the WHO said.…

Feb

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Africa’s flying pharmacies: The continent is increasingly using medical drones to deliver life-saving drugs

HEALTH

MICHAEL SARPONG MFUM/BIRD STORY AGENCY IN Monkra, Krachi West District, Ghana, there is an abundance of roots and tubers. The District is famous for its yams, cassava, cereals, and legumes and is one of the major agricultural centres in the Oti Region. However, while the region knows an abundance of food, it has also known shortage in a more critical area- medicine. The community has had a longstanding problem accessing emergency drugs, especially anti-snake serum and other essential medicines. Rose Ntoso, a resident of Monkra, knows this too well. "Life has not been easy for us. When we needed drugs…

Feb

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official

HEALTH

THE death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. As of Wednesday, Malawi had recorded 40,284 cholera cases and 1,316 deaths in an outbreak that started in March 2022, with the country averaging over 500 new cases every day, Charles Mwansambo told a briefing organised by the World Health Organisation's Africa office. Cholera outbreaks happen regularly in Malawi, usually in the rainy season from November to March, but they only average an annual death toll of about 100. The WHO said…

Feb

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Vitamins and supplements: what you need to know before taking them

HEALTH

IF you were to open your medicine cabinet right now, there’s a fair chance that you’d find at least one bottle of vitamins alongside the painkillers, plasters and cough syrup. After all, people are definitely buying vitamins: in 2020, the global market for complementary and alternative medicines, which includes multivitamin supplements, had an estimated value of US$82.27 billion. The use of natural health products such as minerals and amino acids has increased – and continues to rise, partly driven by consumers’ buying habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors NEELAVENI PADAYACHEE, Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the…

Jan

31

2023

By The African Mirror

Africa leads the world in contraceptive use

HEALTH

BIRD STORY AGENCY THE use of modern contraception is soaring worldwide, with one in three women of reproductive age in low- and lower-middle-income countries now using a modern method of family planning. However, the biggest increase in contraceptive use is in Africa, where demand shot from 16.8% in 2012 to 23% in 2022. This is according to the global family planning partnership, FP2030, which released its 2022 Measurement Report on 25th January 2023. This latest Family Planning 2030 report took a deep dive into 15 African countries, where among other things, it analysed contraceptive use among youth and adolescents and…

Jan

26

2023

By The African Mirror

FAQ on COVID-19 subvariant XBB.1.5: What is it? Where is it prevalent? How does it differ from Omicron? Does it cause serious illness? How can I protect myself? Why is it nicknamed ‘Kraken’?

HEALTH

Despite intensive public health efforts to grind the COVID-19 pandemic to a halt, the recent emergence of the highly transmissible, extensively drug-resistant and profoundly immune system-evading XBB.1.5 SARS-CoV-2 subvariant is putting the global community on edge. Author SAMEER ELSAYED, Professor of Medicine, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Western University What is XBB.1.5? In the naming convention for SARS-CoV-2 lineages, the prefix “X” denotes a pedigree that arose through genetic recombination between two or more subvariants. The XBB lineage emerged following the natural co-infection of a human host with two Omicron subvariants, namely BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75. It was…