HEALTH - The African Mirror

Aug

03

2021

Delta variant spreads ‘like wildfire’

COVID-19

DEENA BEASLEY WITH a new wave of COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people - mainly the unvaccinated - sicker than before. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Delta, first identified in India and now dominant worldwide, is "likely more severe" than earlier versions of the virus, according to an internal report made public on Friday. The agency cited research in Canada, Singapore and Scotland showing that people infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be…

Aug

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccine mandates: Senegal warns employers

COVID-19

SENEGAL’S government has warned employers not to refuse entry to workers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, calling such measures discriminatory. Fewer than 1 million of Senegal's roughly 16 million people have been vaccinated, but some employers have begun to ask unvaccinated workers to stay at home as infections and deaths hit record numbers during the ongoing third wave. Last week, Senegal's public electricity company said unvaccinated workers would be placed on annual leave beginning on August 16. Some private employers have announced similar measures. Labour Minister Samba Sy said in a circular to employers that because Senegalese law does…

Aug

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Morocco announces curfew

COVID-19

MOROCCO has announced a national curfew from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. starting on Tuesday to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the prime minister's office tweeted. The statement added that movement between several cities including Marrakesh will be limited to vaccination certificate holders and medical emergency cases.

Aug

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria hit by deadly cholera surge focused on north

HEALTH

HAMZA IBRAHIM NIGERIA has been hit by a surge in cholera cases in recent weeks, focused on the country's north and adding to a public health crisis accompanied by a rise in COVID-19 cases. "In the last two weeks we had new and resurgence cases," Dr Bashir Lawan Muhammad, the state epidemiologist and deputy director of public health for northern economic hub Kano State, told Reuters. He said the rainy season was making it worse, while insecurity in the north, where the authorities have been battling Islamist militants and armed criminals, was also hindering the authorities' ability to respond. Twenty-two…

Jan

13

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 kills two Malawi cabinet ministers

COVID-19

FRANK PHIRI TWO senior Malawian cabinet ministers and two other senior political figures died on the same day from COVID-19, the government said. The deaths followed a cabinet meeting and other gatherings attended by politicians over the Christmas period, but officials did not say where the victims were infected. Transport Minister Sidik Mia Local Government Minister Lingson Berekanyama and Transport Minister Sidik Mia both succumbed to the disease in the early hours of Tuesday, the government spokesman said. They were senior members of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), the main partner in an alliance that unseated ex-leader Peter Mutharika in…

Apr

02

2021

By The African Mirror

SA health regulator registers J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa's health regulator has registered Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for deliveries to start in the second quarter. The registration of J&J's vaccine is a boost for the country worst affected by the pandemic on the continent in terms of recorded infections and deaths. South Africa is counting on J&J to supply 31 million doses of its vaccine. J&J said in a statement that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) had "granted registration with conditions" for its single-dose vaccine. SAHPRA's spokesman confirmed that J&J's vaccine had been registered when called by Reuters. He said…

Apr

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Pfizer COVID-19 shot 91% effective

COVID-19

CARL O’DONNELL Pfizer Inc and BioNTech have revealed that their COVID-19 vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing the disease, citing updated trial data that included participants inoculated for up to six months. The shot was also 100% effective in preventing illness among trial participants in South Africa, where a new variant called B1351 is dominant, although that rate was derived from a relatively small number of nine infections observed there, which were all in the placebo group, Pfizer said. While the new overall efficacy rate of 91.3% is lower than the 95% originally reported in November for its 44,000-person…

Apr

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt gets 854,400 doses of vaccine

COVID-19

EGYPT has received 854,400 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as part of the global COVAX agreement, the health ministry said. COVAX was established by the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the equitable distribution of vaccines. The shipment is part of 40 million doses that Egypt is set to receive via GAVI. The AstraZeneca vaccine has received approval for emergency use from WHO and the Egyptian Drug Authority, the ministry spokesman said in a statement. The shipment will be tested in the authority's labs before the vaccination of medical workers, the elderly, and eligible groups…

Apr

02

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Vaccine delay could be catastrophic for Africa ‘

COVID-19

INDIA’S temporary hold on major exports of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot will undermine Africa's vaccination plans, and could have a "catastrophic" impact if extended, the head of the continent's disease control body said yesterday. India decided to delay big exports of the shots made in its territory by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to make sure it could meet local demand, two sources told Reuters last week. The hold "will definitely impact our ability to continuously vaccinate people," the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told a news conference in Addis Ababa. The African…

Aug

02

2022

By The African Mirror

Food and drinks are getting sweeter. Even if it’s not all sugar, it’s bad for our health

HEALTH

HUMANS have an evolutionary preference for sweetness. Sweet foods, like fruit and honey, were an important energy source for our ancestors. However, in the modern world, sweetened foods are readily available, very cheap and advertised extensively. Now, we are consuming too much sugar in foods and drinks – the kind that is added rather than sugar that is naturally occurring. Consuming too much added sugar is bad news for health. It is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. Because of these health concerns, manufacturers started using non-nutritive sweeteners to sweeten food as well. These sweeteners contain little…