Health

N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | The Chadian government said Thursday that more than 50 people have died of cholera in Chad where authorities have since declared an outbreak. “We count 312 cases, including 52 deaths,” said health ministry secretary-general Hamid Djabar. Authorities declared a cholera outbreak on Monday, which put in …

Paris, France | AFP | British scientists have used genome “editing” technology to reveal the role of a key gene in the early development of human embryos, a potential boost for fertility treatment. They used genome “scissors” called CRISPR-Cas9 to snip out a gene called OCT4 from fertilised eggs. OCT4 is …

Kampala, Uganda | PPU | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called for the economic empowerment of young girls if child marriages are to end. The President who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni was today speaking at a high level side event …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | In most countries health ministers are seen as bureaucrats more interested in paperwork than medical miracles. Not in Madagascar, where Mamy Lalatiana Andriamanarivo recently picked up a scalpel and separated conjoined siamese twins in a medical first for the Indian Ocean island nation. “Surgery was performed …

High HIV prevalence among men raises need to embrace new interventions targeting them Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA |Preliminary results of the 2016 Uganda Population HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) survey released recently have raised the concern of health sector workers on the issue. Preliminary results of the survey showed HIV …

Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP |  At least 44 people have now died in a cholera outbreak in northeast Nigeria, the United Nations said Monday, calling for nearly $10 million to keep the disease from spreading. “To date, the outbreak has claimed at least 44 lives, out of close to 2,300 …

  Novartis a global healthcare company based in Switzerland recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Health to supply the country with, among others, cancer drugs. The Independent’s Flavia Nassaka spoke to Dr. Nathan Mulure, Cluster Head Norvatis Social Business for East and Southern Africa during …

THIS WEEK: Mulago Hospital conducts brain surgery on an awake patient Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | During a medical camp organised by nuerosurgeons at Mulago hospital together with experts from the India based Yashoda hospital have conducted brian surgeries on over ten patient including one who underwent the procedure while …

Disguised Uganda minister Opendi catches corrupt hospital workers Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Uganda’s State Minister of Health for General Duties disguised herself as a patient and caught two medical workers demanding a bribe for free government services, she told AFP on Saturday. Health State Minister Sarah Opendi said she …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP |  Pneumonic plague has killed five people in Madagascar since August, a top health official told AFP on Thursday, but stressed the situation was under control. “We have detected 22 suspected cases of pneumonic plague, including five deaths,” said senior health ministry official Willy Randriamarotia. “There …