Society catergory

Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | German chemicals giant Bayer said Wednesday it had agreed to buy the controversial US seeds and pesticides firm Monsanto for $66 billion, in a deal that triggered immediate criticism from environmentalists. After a months-long pursuit, Bayer said its US peer had accepted an improved offer …

Paris, France | AFP | We all grow up to accept certain unassailable facts: water is wet, the Earth is round, and to produce a baby you need an egg and sperm. As it turns out, the last of these may turn out not to be true. On Tuesday, scientists …

Paris, France | AFP | Scientists said Monday they had found a suitable animal model for testing new Zika drugs — a monkey whose offspring suffers brain damage similar to human foetuses exposed to the virus. One monkey, a pregnant pigtail macaque, was infected with Zika on day 119 of …

Washington, United States | AFP |  US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has cancelled campaign engagements after being diagnosed with pneumonia. The 68-year-old fell ill at a ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and appeared to lose her footing as she was helped into her vehicle. …

  Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |    Hollywood plague movies are usually about a fictional viral outbreak, unleashing chaos and anarchy that can only be stopped by heroes who transcend the panic. That’s not true for “93 Days”, a Nollywood film premiering on Tuesday, which dramatises the story of Nigeria’s …

VIDEO: A proposal by the Ministry of Health to have the Health Council introduce a pre-internship medical exam across the country has created a big debate. The move is, according to the Ministers of Health, aimed at improving the quality of medical graduates following concerns that some universities and institutions were producing substandard medics. …

Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has told Uganda Parliament’s Health Committee that all measures taken recently in regard to interns allowances and eligibility to practice, were aimed at improving standards in the sector. Health minister Aceng stated that due to the increasing numbers of newly qualified medical personnel, lack of proper guidelines for training …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization on Tuesday toughened its advice on preventing the spread of Zika, saying anyone returning from areas hit by the virus should practise safe sex for six months afterwards. The updated guidelines mean the UN health body’s recommendations regarding sexual transmission are …

New report says government underestimates the true magnitude of maternal, child death in hospitals Sarah Nakaggwa had a clue on what happens when a woman is about to give birth. She was expecting her fifth child. So when she started to notice changes, she and her husband, Moses Mutongole, checked …

Tough health choices for men: Bread-winning men may have more money, but poorer health Men who earn more money than their wives may be rolling in the bucks, but they tend to have poor health and heightened anxiety, new research shows. Researchers analysed surveys from 9,000 young married men and women …