Miami, United States | AFP | Women who breastfeed their babies for six months or more may be able to cut their risk of developing diabetes in the future by nearly half, according to a study Tuesday. The findings from a three-decade US study of more than 1,200 white and African-American …
Read More »Fake medicines flourish in Africa despite killing thousands
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | There’s nothing covert about Roxy — a huge market in Abidjan selling counterfeit medicine, the scourge of Africa and the cause of around 100,000 deaths annually on the world’s poorest continent. Located in the bustling Adjame quarter of Ivory Coast’s main city and commercial hub, …
Read More »Suppressing a sneeze can be dangerous, doctors warn
Paris, France | AFP | Stifling a sneeze can rupture your throat, burst an ear drum, or pop a blood vessel in your brain, researchers warned Tuesday. Many people — when they feel a sneeze coming on — block all the exits, essentially swallowing the sneeze’s explosive force. Just how dangerous …
Read More »HIV self-testing improves uptake
Up to 100% of women given a self-testing kit took the test Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | Until recently, there was virtually no evidence on the acceptability and feasibility of HIV self-testing, but results of new studies now suggest that self-testing has potential in improving the uptake of testing – at …
Read More »WHO says ‘high’ cholera risk in DR Congo capital
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The World Health Organization Monday said there was a high risk of a cholera epidemic after flooding in Kinshasa, the teeming and ramshackle capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “In a big city like Kinshasa, which has between 10 and 12 million inhabitants, …
Read More »Tanzania to double TB-sniffing giant rats
Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | The use of giant rats to sniff out tuberculosis (TB) in Tanzania is set to nearly double by the end of the year due to successful detection rates, a charity who trains them is quoted in a Reuters Africa report as saying. African Giant Pouched Rats, …
Read More »Did you know? It best to exercise immediately after waking up
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 1. It makes you sharper in the morning and puts your mental faculties at peak performance for four to 10 hours afterwards, due to the increased flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain. 2. It makes you more disciplined since force yourself to exercise early …
Read More »`Incredible’ GMO banana with edible skin
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Fruit farmers in Okayama, Japan, have managed to make peeling a banana optional by developing a special variety with edible skin. The peel of their “Mongee Banana” is not particularly tasty, but it is considerably thinner and far less bitter than that of regular …
Read More »Drinking `raw water” is new craze
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Despite being a hub for technological advancement, California’s bay area is also notorious for absurd anti-science health trends such as a new and ridiculous trend – “raw water”. That’s actually unfiltered, untreated, raw spring water, which, even when from the seemingly cleanest of sources, …
Read More »Three reasons you should sleep commando
Kampala, Uganda |THE INDEPENDENT | It turns out a little nudity at night is good as it lowers your body temperature and, in the process, shifts your sleep to the deeper stages you need to feel truly rested, according to research. You might also lose weight because, a cool environment …
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