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Feb
23
2024
By ANDREW SHENNAN and MEGAN HALL
80% of premature baby deaths happen in poorer countries. Five simple measures that can help save them

80% of premature baby deaths happen in poorer countries. Five simple measures that can help save them

HEALTH
WORLDWIDE in 2020 a baby died every 40 seconds because of complications of prematurity. Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under 5 years old. The burden of preterm birth is heavier in in low- and middle-income countries, where around 80% occur. The countries with the highest recorded preterm rates in Africa are Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana. In Ethiopia 12.9% of babies were born preterm in 2020. In Nigeria the figure was 9.9%. ANDREW SHENNAN, Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London and chair of the FIGO Preterm Birth Committee…
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Sep
29
2023
By EDWIN NYIRONGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY
Malawi looks to drones to protect its wildlife

Malawi looks to drones to protect its wildlife

NEWS
MALAWI has announced a new level of protection across its Nyika, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Majete Vwaza, Liwonde and Elephant wildlife reserves: drones. Until recently, the protection of animals in the reserves relied heavily on forest guards. The guards usually patrol boundary lines separating animals from their human neighbours, checking for people encroaching on the reserves. But human resources have limits and destruction to the ecosystem and the poaching of animals has been a growing problem. As a result, the government, in consultation with environmentalists, has conceived of a more effective method to protect the areas. A decision was made to use…
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May
28
2023
By The African Mirror
Malawi rounds up 920 refugees to return them to overcrowded camp

Malawi rounds up 920 refugees to return them to overcrowded camp

NEWS
AUTHORITIES in Malawi have rounded up 920 refugees who had settled in different communities to move them back to a camp in a district bordering the capital Lilongwe, home affairs ministry spokesperson Patrick Botha said. The operation, which started on May 17, followed a government ultimatum that called for all refugees to return to the Dzaleka refugee camp by April 15, or face enforced relocation. The government has accused refugees of leaving the overcrowded camp without following proper procedures. The round-up operation started in Lilongwe and has been extended to other districts. Botha could not say when the operation, which…
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May
20
2023
By The African Mirror
World Bank extends $150 mln to Mozambique to aid Cyclone Freddy recovery

World Bank extends $150 mln to Mozambique to aid Cyclone Freddy recovery

NEWS
THE World Bank has moved $150 million of the funds it has earmarked for Mozambique projects to help fund the southern African nation's efforts to recover from the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy. The World Bank logo is seen at the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz One of the deadliest storms to hit the continent in the last two decades, Freddy ripped through Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar, first in late February before circling back in March. Over 1,000 people were reported dead in the region. The World…
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May
19
2023
By The African Mirror
Teen mothers and depression: lack of support from partners and violence are big drivers in Malawi and Burkina Faso

Teen mothers and depression: lack of support from partners and violence are big drivers in Malawi and Burkina Faso

HEALTH
UP to one in four African girls have their first child before the age of 18. Becoming a mother at such a young age can lead to mental health problems like depression. Research suggests that pregnant and parenting teenagers have poorer mental health than adult mothers. Authors ANTHONY IDOWU AJAYI, Associate research scientist, African Population and Health Research Center ELITA CHAMDIMBA, Research fellow, Centre for Social Research, University of Malawi Several factors make teenage mothers vulnerable to mental illness. For example, in conservative societies pregnant, unmarried adolescent girls are shamed and excluded. Parenting is stressful. Early and unintended pregnancy can…
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Mar
19
2023
By The African Mirror
Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps

Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps

NEWS
IN Malawi, where floods swept away entire villages this month after a storm tore through its southern districts, police officers and soldiers dug for victims buried under the mud and rocks as the death toll rose sharply. The storm has pounded the southern African country as tropical Cyclone Freddy swept through the region killing more than 500 people in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar since it first made landfall in Africa in late February and circled back for a second time over the weekend. While the storm had dissipated, the rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded…
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Mar
16
2023
By The African Mirror
Factbox: Why is Cyclone Freddy a record-breaking storm?

Factbox: Why is Cyclone Freddy a record-breaking storm?

NEWS
NELLIE PEYTON TROPICAL cyclone Freddy hit the coast of southern Africa for a second time over the weekend, bringing its total death toll to more than 220 people in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. The month-long storm has broken at least one record and could break two more, meteorologists say. As climate change causes warmer oceans, heat energy from the water's surface is fuelling stronger storms. Below are some of the main reasons Freddy is noteworthy. HIGHEST CYCLONE ENERGY Freddy holds the record for most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure based on a storm's wind strength over its lifetime, of any storm in…
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Mar
16
2023
By The African Mirror
Malawi buries cyclone victims as death toll rises further

Malawi buries cyclone victims as death toll rises further

NEWS
FRANK PHIRI and MANUEL MUCARI MALAWIAN families gathered to remember and bury the victims of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, with the President Lazarus Chakwera calling on the international community for support as the toll rose further. Freddy tore through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend and was still causing heavy rain on Wednesday, hampering relief efforts. "I am personally so devastated," Chakwera told reporters in Chilobwe township's Naotcha, on the outskirts of Blantyre. "Sometimes when you just pass by these many caskets, you cannot help but shed tears because, loved ones, one whole family completely…
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Mar
15
2023
By The African Mirror
The healing work of the social circus, Tamba Africa

The healing work of the social circus, Tamba Africa

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
TATENDA KANENGONI/ BIRD STORY AGENCY THE Tamba Africa Social Circus crew take turns applying paint strokes on each other's faces. When this is done, they huddle up, clasp each other's hands and bow their heads. Troupe leader, Tinotenda Makamure, looks each of them in the eye, carefully enunciating the words, "Remember who we are, where we come from, and what we are about to do." The circus is at the Madsoc Theatre in Lilongwe, Malawi, where in a few moments, they will walk out on stage to a fully packed auditorium to perform a healing dance chronicling the pain, sorrows…
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Feb
10
2023
By The African Mirror
Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official

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…
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