Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A century after it was discovered, insulin still remains out of reach for many people living with diabetes, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report published Friday to commemorate the milestone anniversary. Diabetes is characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar which over time, can cause …
Read More »WHO warns of measles outbreaks as countries fail to reach elimination target
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | No new countries have achieved measles elimination target, just a month to the end of the year. This is according to the World Health Organization-WHO. By the end of 2020, 81 countries had succeeded in sustaining their measles elimination status despite the pandemic. WHO reports …
Read More »Shortage of raltegravir worries patients on third line HIV treatment
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | HIV activists have made an outcry about shortages of an expensive HIV drug, raltegravir, which is recommended for decreasing the amount of HIV in the blood. Raltegravir is used by people living with HIV that are on third-line treatment. It is administered as a tablet, …
Read More »Arua city health officials resort to homecare camps as chicken pox cases rise
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health officials in Arua city have embarked on homecare camps to manage the outbreak of chicken pox in Ayiforo, Dadamu and Tanganyika cells in Ayivu division, Arua city. The contagious disease was first observed in Ayiforo cell, three weeks ago after a teenage girl developed …
Read More »African scientists race to test COVID drugs
In a bid to stave off looming disaster, scientists are trying to repurpose drugs used for malaria and other diseases, but infrastructure and recruitment challenges stymie progress | ABDULLAHI TSANNI | For more than a year, Adeola Fowotade struggled to recruit people to a clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments. A …
Read More »Kawempe Hospital maternity full as deliveries triple
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Every hour, about five babies are born at Kawempe National Referral Hospital. According to the Deputy Executive Director, Dr Lawrence Kazibwe, they daily deliver between 100 and 150 babies ever since the second COVID-19 lockdown was lifted. This number is almost triple the 50 …
Read More »Breast cancer in men
Why is it more aggressive than in women? Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Experts at the Uganda Cancer Institute have come out to warn that although breast cancer is common in women, men can also get it and it is more aggressive. Dr. Noleb Mugisha, an oncologist who heads …
Read More »Only one in seven COVID cases detected in Africa
WHO says most tests are carried out on people with symptoms, whereas much of the transmission is driven by those who do not show symptoms | NELSON MANDELA OGEMA | Only one in seven COVID-19 infections are being detected in Africa because of inadequate testing, the WHO said in an …
Read More »Chicken pox outbreak hits Arua city
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is anxiety among locals and health officials in Arua city following an outbreak of chicken pox in Ayiforo cell, Dadamu ward, Ayivu division. Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus and causes an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters and is highly contagious …
Read More »Turning ordinary midwife into a super midwife
GSK funded eLearning offers nurses and midwives welcome opportunity | CAROLINE ARIBA | Her arrival into the maternity ward is noticed. She might not be the most experienced midwife at the Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, but she certainly is one of the most appreciated. At 32, Assumpta Namugumya has mastered …
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