Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tororo General Hospital is struggling with unstable blood supply. According to the hospital administrators, the shortage is leading to an increase in infant deaths and also affects the lower health facilities. Records indicate that Tororo General hospital from the start of the financial year has …
Read More »Air pollution cuts life expectancy by more than two years – study
NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Ugandans could potentially live an extra two years if that if global PM2.5 levels were reduced to the five micrograms per cubic metre recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to a new study. Ugandans have a life expectancy of about 64 years …
Read More »Lassa fever: 155 dead in Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria | Xinhua | The death toll of Lassa fever in Nigeria this year has risen to 155 amid government measures to reduce infections across the country, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said. In its latest Lassa fever situation report reaching Xinhua Saturday, the public health agency …
Read More »EAC partner states urged to educate citizens on monkeypox
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | East African Community (EAC) partner states have been urged to provide the necessary information for their citizens to protect themselves against monkeypox and prevent the virus from spreading. This follows reports by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 780 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox from 27 …
Read More »WHO to decide whether monkeypox represents public health emergency
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that it will convene a meeting next week to assess whether the current monkeypox outbreak outside of the traditional endemic areas in Africa has already turned into a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). “The global outbreak …
Read More »Nathan Ssewaali launches first Mental Health children’s book
Kampala, Uganda | Patricia Akankwatsa | Canadian-based Ugandan author and mental health professional, Nathan Ssewaali launched his mental health book for children titled, ‘Lola and The Emotions Carousel’ which has received a lot of positive reviews across the world as many have referred to it as helpful to their children’s mental …
Read More »Painkillers for older adults
How to choose the safest over-the-counter drugs By Leslie Kernisan Q: My 88-year old mother often complains of various aches and pains. What is the safest over-the-counter painkiller for her to take? Aren’t some of them bad for your liver and kidneys? A: Frequent aches and pains are a …
Read More »Gut microbes an early warning for liver disease in non-drinkers: study
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects around a quarter of the adult population in the world Beijing, China | Xinhua | A study by Chinese scientists and their German counterparts has revealed that microbes in one’s gut can be used as risk indicators for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD, in which …
Read More »COVID-19 and death in pregnancy
Study in finds more mothers died in Uganda HEALTH | SARA JERVING | Pregnant women who were hospitalized with COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa died at higher rates and had more complications than non-pregnant women with similarly severe COVID-19, as well as pregnant women without the disease, according to a …
Read More »5% of nodding syndrome victims battling severe brain damage
Otuke, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Five percent of nodding syndrome victims in Acholi and parts of Lango sub-region have developed severe mental problems, the health minister Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng has revealed. Aceng said the children require urgent rehabilitation noting that they have become a huge burden to their parents …
Read More »