HEALTH - The African Mirror

Oct

28

2020

UN in New York cancels in-person meetings due to COVID-19 infections

COVID-19

THE United Nations has cancelled all in-person meetings at its New York headquarters after five people in Niger's U.N. mission were infected with the coronavirus, diplomats said. After largely operating virtually since New York became a global COVID-19 hotspot in March, the 193-member world body had been holding some in-person gatherings again, with COVID-19 precautions such as requiring diplomats to wear masks, social distance and restricting the number of people at meetings. In a letter to member states late on Monday, U.N. General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said the U.N. medical unit had recommended cancelling in-person meetings on Tuesday, pending…

Oct

27

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 causes some patients’ immune systems to attack their own bodies, which may contribute to severe illness

COVID-19

MATTHEW WOODRUFF, Instructor, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory University ACROSS the world, immunologists who retooled their labs to join the fight against SARS-CoV-2 are furiously trying to explain why some people get so sick while others recover unscathed. The pace is dizzying, but some clear trends have emerged. One area of focus has been the production of antibodies – powerful proteins capable of disabling and killing invading pathogens like viruses. Of great concern has been the sporadic identification of so-called autoreactive antibodies that, instead of targeting disease causing microbes, target the tissues of individuals suffering from severe cases of…

Oct

27

2020

By The African Mirror

Africa’s miners face new TB threat as pandemic disrupts treatment

HEALTH

KIM HARRISBERG VAMA Jele's heart dropped every time he heard that another migrant miner home from South Africa had died from tuberculosis (TB) due to skipping treatment under lockdown. In just four months, it happened 60 times. When COVID-19 shut South Africa's mines, workers from Jele's homeland eSwatini and other neighbouring nations rushed home - disrupting TB care for thousands of miners at high risk from the disease due to weakened lungs after years working underground. Jele - secretary general of a migrant mineworkers' association in eSwatini - said more lives could now be lost to TB as overstretched healthcare…

Oct

27

2020

By The African Mirror

Why Nigeria can’t fix its development agenda: and where the solutions lie

HEALTH

UCHE ISIUGO-ABANIHE, Professor of Demography, University of Ibadan NIGERIA has an estimated population of about 206 million, making it the seventh most populous country in the world. The country’s population is projected to increase to 263 million in 2030 and 401 million in 2050 when it will become the third most populous country in the world. This is because the country’s population continues to grow at a high rate of 2.6%. The global population growth is 1.05% per year. Nigeria’s population growth is a product of persistent high fertility and consistently declining mortality. In 2018 the total fertility rate (or…

Oct

27

2020

By The African Mirror

Wave of new COVID-19 cases crashes across U.S. and Europe as winter looms

COVID-19

JAMES MACKENZIE and LISA SHUMAKER THE United States, Russia, France and many other countries are setting records for coronavirus infections as a tidal wave of cases washes over parts of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing some countries to impose new curbs. The gloom weighed on global financial markets on Monday as surging infections clouded the economic outlook. U.S. stocks had their worst day in more than seven weeks over the double whammy of record coronavirus cases and political deadlock in negotiations to provide more economic aid. Word that a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc produced…

Oct

26

2020

By The African Mirror

Are warnings of a COVID-19 famine in Africa overblown?

COVID-19

OBI ANYADIKE ALARM bells have been ringing for months that COVID-19 could push fragile African countries “closer to the abyss” of famine as jobs are lost, local markets close, and poverty deepens. Aid agencies routinely list the coronavirus as a major factor in driving humanitarian needs, from the Sahel to Somalia, and don’t shy away from describing its impact as the “perfect storm”. A joint report in July by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calculated that COVID-19 could create an additional 121 million hungry people globally by the end of the year – mostly in 15 already crisis-affected African countries. But…

Oct

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Malaria parasites in Nigeria are genetically diverse: a danger but also a useful tool

HEALTH

SEGUN ISAAC OYEDEJI, Lecturer, Federal University, Oye Ekiti MALARIA is one of the world’s most dangerous parasitic disease and a major public health challenge, especially in Africa. Each year, over 200 million new cases of malaria occur globally. This leads to the death of over 400,000 individuals, most of whom are children below the age of five. Nigeria accounts for about a quarter of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide. Malaria is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Humans acquire malaria when an infected female Anopheles mosquito bites an individual and injects Plasmodium parasites into the bloodstream. Five species…

Oct

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Algerian president, 75, self isolates as pandemic spreads

COVID-19

ALGERIA’S 75-year-old President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is self-isolating because some officials in "upper ranks of the government" are sick with COVID-19, he has said in a Tweet. Tebboune took office in December in an election that came amidst months of mass protests which forced his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power after 20 years. "I assure you, my brothers and sisters, that I am well and healthy and that I continue my work," he said, saying his decision was taken on the advice of medical staff. The global pandemic struck Algeria's economy as it faced long-term challenges posed by the decline of…

Oct

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Can the United Nations protect human rights in the age of COVID-19?

COVID-19

ON the 75th anniversary of the U.N.’s founding, experts warn human rights violations are flourishing and say the U.N. must adapt CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON DEFENDING human rights, a key mission of the United Nations, it seems, has never been harder. A global pandemic has deepened inequality, pushed millions out of work and seen governments enforce restrictions on people's movement and ramp up surveillance. Oct 24 marks 75 years since the U.N. was founded in the aftermath of World War II. The Thomson Reuters Foundation asked five former and current U.N. advisors how COVID-19 is impacting it's ability to protect human rights…

Oct

24

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO warning: World at critical juncture, some countries on “dangerous track”

COVID-19

THE world is now at a critical juncture in the COVID-19 pandemic and some countries are on a dangerous path, facing the prospect of health services collapsing under the strain, the head of the World Health Organization has warned. "We are at a critical juncture in the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the Northern hemisphere," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. "The next few months are going to be very tough and some countries are on a dangerous track." "We urge leaders to take immediate action, to prevent further unnecessary deaths, essential health services from collapsing and schools…