Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s call for a bipartisan commitment to eradicate HIV in the United States within a decade has been welcomed by experts and advocacy organizations even as major challenges remain. Addressing Congress during the annual State of the Union speech, Trump hailed what …
Read More »Did you know? Your heart affects what you see
Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | A team of researchers from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland that was trying to figure out why we do not hear our heart beat, has made a surprising discovery; that our heart affects what we see. They explain that humans have spectacularly …
Read More »Hawaii considers raising legal smoking age — to 100
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Would-be cigarette smokers in the US state of Hawaii might have to wait a very long time for their first legal drag, after a lawmaker introduced a bill that would bar sales to anyone under the age of 100. The proposed law, introduced …
Read More »Uganda records increase in stomach, colon cancers
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Cancer Institute is recording an increase in cancers of the stomach and colon. The surge is attributed to unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles and change in diets, among the population, according to Dr Jackson Orem, the Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute. …
Read More »HPV vaccine is safe, says cancer agency, slams ‘unfounded rumours’
Paris, France | AFP | “Unfounded rumours” causing people to spurn the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was preventing the elimination of cervical cancer, which kills more than 300,000 women every year, health authorities said Monday. To mark World Cancer Day 2019, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a …
Read More »Government launches 5 year refugee health plan
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Estimated to cost $583.4 million, the Ministry of Health on Jan.25 launched the Health Sector Intergrated Refugee Response Plan 2019 – 2024 in which they will provide drugs, infrastructure and cater for human resources for health in refugee camps and the host community. Speaking at …
Read More »Regional immunisation meeting discusses investment in surveillance
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Global immunization experts attending the biannual Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (RITAG) meeting in Congo Brazzaville on Jan.23 noted that over the past five years, immunization coverage in sub-Saharan Africa has stagnated at 72%, exposing populations to vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks. They said there was …
Read More »Fake health news
Fake health news: How it can lead you to make dangerous decisions Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | Fake health news can do real harm. Here’s how to spot the difference between false stories and verified information. Sleeping with raw, sliced onions in your socks can release toxins from your …
Read More »Bleeding risks may offset aspirin’s benefit vs heart disease
Tampa, United States | AFP | Should healthy people take aspirin to ward off heart disease? The notion has been controversial, and the medical advice mixed. But a review of scientific data on the topic Tuesday showed that any benefits are slight, and are counterbalanced by a matching rise in …
Read More »Construction without coordination: how ants build megaprojects
Paris, France | AFP | Leaf-cutter ants build super highways to transfer food and building materials hundreds of metres without communicating with each other, scientists claimed Wednesday, in findings that could prompt a rethink about how some insect communities organise themselves. Each leaf-cutter colony can carve out nearly three kilometres of …
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