But deaths remain low ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | An 83% surge in new COVID-19 cases in early December in Africa, driven by the Delta and the Omicron variants, is causing fewer deaths than previous surges—but more waves could be building as updated forecasts warn that the continent may not …
Read More »Caring for the mentally ill
Focused on peer support yields positive results | MICHELLE M. SCHWAB | In many regions of Africa, traditional healers have treated all illnesses, physical and mental, for centuries. As the prevalence of mental illness continues to rise in Uganda, western influence impacts how those with a mental illness can access …
Read More »Striking medics threaten to go to court
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Striking medical interns who were on Friday directed by the Ministry of Health to among others vacate hospital premises within one week are contemplating running to court. Dr. Herbert Luswata, the General Secretary of Uganda Medical Association (UMA) on Saturday said that they …
Read More »Facing colliding epidemics of HIV, TB, COVID-19
BroadReach Group health experts want vaccinations sites to be multipurpose on a variety of illnesses | THE INDEPENDENT | As Africa works to get back on track to meet its UNAIDS HIV prevention and care targets, healthcare organisations like the BroadReach Group are partnering with governments and donors to find …
Read More »New dangerous COVID-19 variant
Heavily mutated coronavirus variant puts scientists on alert | THE INDEPENDENT | Researchers in South Africa are racing to track the concerning rise of a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The variant harbours a large number of mutations found in other variants, including Delta, and it seems …
Read More »Law coming on surrogacy
Movers cite increasing rate of infertility among men and reproductive complications among women | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda is witnessing an increasing rate of infertility among men and complications that render women incapable of carrying a pregnancy, according to MPs pushing for a Surrogacy and Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill. Tororo …
Read More »Health ministry launches National Emergency Medical Services Policy
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has launched the National Emergency Medical Services Policy. The policy supposed to streamline emergency response services in the country, aims at reducing avoidable mortality, morbidity and disability, by ensuring all people in need of emergency care access it. The policy will …
Read More »ARTS: Leilah Babirye
Artist reclaims her sexuality | THE INDEPENDENT | New York-based Ugandan artist Leilah Babirye’s hand-carved wood and ceramic sculptures—many of them figures and faces inspired by African masks that seek to expore the diversity of LGBTQI identities—have captured the attention of the international art world. The 36-year old went abroad …
Read More »Herbal skin treatments
Makerere University scientists give traditionalists a boost | THE INDEPENDENT | An organic research group at Makerere University Kampala has embarked on testing the safety, quality and efficacy of herbal remedies in a bid to ensure that only those found safe and effective are used. The group from the university’s …
Read More »WHO: Insulin still out of reach for many a century after discovery
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 …
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