HEALTH - The African Mirror

Nov

2023

Antibiotic resistance causes more deaths than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. What Africa is doing to fight this silent epidemic

EACH year antimicrobial resistance – the ability of microbes to survive agents designed to kill them – claims more lives than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Africa bears the brunt of this development, which thrives on inequality and poverty. Nadine Dreyer asked Tom Nyirenda, a research scientist with over 27 years’ experience in infectious diseases, what health organisations on the continent are doing to fight this threat to medical progress. TOM NYIRENDA, Extraordinary Senior Lecture in the Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University What is antimicrobial resistance? Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no…

Nov

2023

By MARINA JOUBERT, PHAIK YEONG CHEAH and SONIA LEWYCKA

Antimicrobial resistance is a silent killer that leads to 5 million deaths a year. Solutions must include the poor

HEALTH

MICROBES such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi form part of our everyday lives – they live in us, on us and around us. We need them for healthy digestion, immune function, and the synthesis of essential nutrients, and we depend on them for farming and industrial processes. But microbes also cause disease in people, animals and plants. That is why science has developed an arsenal of antimicrobials that kill them or slow their spread. Over time, microbes develop resistance to antimicrobials, and some eventually evolve into so-called “superbugs” that no longer respond to the drugs. So we see more…

Nov

2023

By CLEMENCE MANYUKWE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Zimbabwean women scientists making a remarkable impact in the battle against HIV

HEALTH

WHEN Dr Wadzanai Samaneka began working as a newly graduated doctor, patients who contracted AIDS knew they were going to die. It was a scary time to be a doctor - and an even scarier time to be a sex worker. However, in Zimbabwe and many other countries in the region, AIDS was prevalent everywhere. “During my years as a medical student and later as an internist, the diagnosis of HIV infection was like a life sentence. There were no Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in Zimbabwe and patients would simply be discharged for home-based care. Not only were patients dying, but…

Nov

2023

By BIRD STORY AGENCY

Video – Massive vaccination campaign launched in Nigeria

HEALTH, MULTIMEDIA

NIGERIA has officially introduced a vaccine program against the human papillomavirus virus (HPV) into Nigeria's routine immunisation system, a pivotal moment in the country's fight against cervical cancer-related deaths. The Gavi-led initiative is supported by the Ministry of Health (MOH), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, SYDANI, and various civil society organizations. A five-day mass vaccination campaign in schools and communities heralded the campaign. Under the campaign, Gardasil will be administered to girls between the ages of 9 to 14 years. The vaccine is known for its high effectiveness in preventing HPV types 16 and 18 infections, responsible for a…

Nov

2023

By BIRD STORY AGENCY

Nigeria launches huge human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive, to fight cervical cancer

HEALTH

NIGERIA has officially introduced a vaccine program against the human papillomavirus (HPV) into Nigeria's routine immunisation system, a pivotal moment in the country's fight against cervical cancer-related deaths. “This is a momentous occasion that we are introducing a vaccine to prevent young girls from no longer having to suffer the pain and burden of cervical cancer,” said Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, at an event to mark the occasion in Abuja on October 24. The campaign against cervical cancer is being conducted together with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and UNICEF. Gavi had previously…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

HIV-positive parents in Zimbabwe struggle to manage their children’s education – study shows how

HEALTH

OVER the past three decades, researchers have explored various aspects of the impact of the HIV pandemic. One focus area has been children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Less attention has been given to children who are raised by parents living with HIV. This group has become much bigger as more people have access to antiretroviral therapy and are therefore expected to raise their children. TATENDA ZINYEMBA, Researcher of Economics, Health, and Governance, United Nations University Our research in Zimbabwe looked at the effects the HIV status of parents had on their children’s education. In Zimbabwe, the current…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Breakthroughs in medicine: top virologist on the two most important developments for Africa

HEALTH

THERE have been several important breakthroughs in medical science recently. CRISPR, mRNA, next-generation cancer treatments and game-changing vaccines are some of them. Oyewale Tomori, a virologist with decades-long involvement in managing diseases in Nigeria, gives his verdict on the most significant discoveries and what they mean for Africa. OYEWALE TOMORI, Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science Are these extraordinary times for discoveries in medicine? Yes indeed, the world is living through extraordinary times, but not every part of the world has the luxury of these groundbreaking discoveries in medicine. Time stands extraordinarily still for some people in the world, in terms…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Dengue fever kills hundreds in Burkina Faso as cases spike

HEALTH

BURKINA Faso's health ministry has declared a dengue fever epidemic amid the deadliest outbreak in years in which more than 200 people have died and new cases are rising sharply. There have been 50,478 suspected cases and 214 deaths of the mosquito-borne illness this year, the ministry said in a statement, mostly in the urban centres of the capital Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. About 20% of the cases and deaths were recorded last week alone, it said. Dengue kills an estimated 20,000 people worldwide each year. Rates of the disease have risen eight-fold since 2000, driven largely by climate change,…

Oct

2023

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Mauritian sea sponges offer a promising new cancer treatment – report

HEALTH

A recent study shows that sea sponges thriving in the waters of Mauritius harbour chemicals capable of eradicating liver cancer cells, according to reports in The Conversation and in The South African Journal of Science. "It could evolve into a less toxic therapeutic option against liver cancer," Mauritian co-researcher Rima Beesoo explainedin an article published in The Conversation about the study, emphasising the huge potential of this discovery. The original report, featured in The South African Journal of Science, underscored that the Neopetrosia exigua sponge, native to Mauritius waters, demonstrates a unique ability to target and eliminate liver cancer cells…

Oct

2023

By THUKU KARIUKI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Online innovation is changing how people view and access mental health support

HEALTH

WHEN Wambui Warui developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after losing her daughter to cancer, it took ages to get a diagnosis so she could receive care. “I would go from one doctor to another. I go to this hospital, they test me. They did the kidney, liver, all the internal organs. I move from there, go to another doctor… we do CT scans for my brain. There's nothing wrong. I go to another doctor, because every time I don't get an answer that I had already in me, I would look for another doctor,” Warui disclosed. Warui was finally diagnosed…