disease - The African Mirror

Feb

27

2024

Children most at risk as measles cases soar from Ethiopia to Yemen

The urgency of Abdirizak Ahmed's efforts to fight a measles outbreak in Ethiopia hit home last month when two of the aid worker's colleagues lost children to the disease, which is making a comeback from Africa to India and Britain. "Both boys died before they reached the 13th month or 14th month of life ... It's devastating," said Abdirizak, who works for charity Save the Children in the Horn of Africa country, which reported 10,000 cases in 2023 - the world's highest toll after Yemen, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and India, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data. COVID-19 disrupted routine vaccinations against measles globally in…

Jul

28

2021

By The African Mirror

This is no time to neglect hepatitis – 70 million Africans are infected

HEALTH

IN 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) set an ambitious target to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. This was followed by commitments from governments – including African countries – to develop national strategic plans for viral hepatitis and earmark resources to eliminate the disease. PAULINE BAKIBINGA, Associate Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center Hepatitis results in the inflammation of the liver. There are different forms of hepatitis – A, B, C, D and E – each attributed to a different type of virus. Unfortunately, most people who have the most serious forms of the disease, particularly the B…

Jul

26

2021

By The African Mirror

Monkeypox in Nigeria: why the disease needs intense management

HEALTH

MONKEYPOX is back in the news. The publicity this time derives from a case brought into the US by someone from Nigeria in June 2021. In this interview with Adejuwon Soyinka, The Conversation’s West Africa regional editor, virologist Oyewale Tomori explains that the US case was not the only export from Nigeria this year. He provides insights into why this is happening and what needs to be done. OYEWALE TOMORI, Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science Is it right to describe the latest development as a resurgence of Monkeypox in Nigeria? Not really. Monkeypox is endemic and always with us in…

Oct

14

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Uninhabitable hell’: Climate change and disease threaten millions, UN warns

ENVIRONMENT

MEGAN ROWLING A jump in climate-related disasters this century, along with the global coronavirus pandemic, show political and business leaders are failing to stop the planet turning into "an uninhabitable hell" for millions, the United Nations said on Monday. The last two decades saw the number of disasters caused by extreme weather nearly double to 6,681, up from 3,656 between 1980 and 1999, according to a report issued ahead of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13. Worsening floods and storms accounted for about four-fifths of the total from 2000-2019 but major increases were also recorded for droughts, wildfires…

Jul

21

2020

By The African Mirror

West Congo Ebola cases up to 60, funerals a risk, says WHO

NEWS

EBOLA cases in western Democratic Republic of Congo have risen to 60, with funerals a particular concern for disease spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan said another three cases were detected at the weekend, making a total of 56 confirmed and four probable infections in an outbreak announced last month in Congo's Equateur province. "The disease is active, not controlled," Ryan told a virtual briefing from the U.N. agency's headquarters in Geneva, noting burial practices as a worry. - Thomson Reuters Foundation.