COMMENT | Alfred Geresom Musamali | It was tough going through the two years of lockdown resulting from the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Uganda. But some households that survived the lockdown may not live through the prevailing financial one in the country. During some of that time, movement …
Read More »The fight against Ebola
Why women must be central to the response NEWS ANALYSIS | SOPHIE HARMAN | No time for that” was the constant refrain heard by gender and women’s health experts working in the 2014/16 Ebola response. This was an emergency and the main thing was to deal with the crisis. It …
Read More »The pesticide double standard
Rich countries shouldn’t export pesticides with active ingredients categorised as highly hazardous COMMENT | SILKE BOLLMOHR AND LAYLA LIEBETRAU | Pesticide residue can be found everywhere: in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. A growing body of evidence suggests that herbicides, insecticides, and …
Read More »Districts fail to account for GAVI funds: Minister Aceng
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Many of the districts in Uganda are not accounting for the money dispensed to them for activities related to COVID-19 vaccination and health systems strengthening. Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, notes that they have been experiencing the problem of non-accounting officials since 2019, and …
Read More »Japan gov’t urged to end free COVID-19 vaccinations
Tokyo, Japan | Xinhua | An advisory panel for the finance minister on Monday proposed that the Japanese government end free-of-charge coronavirus vaccinations, highlighting concerns over a further increase of its financial strain. Japan’s Ministry of Finance convened a subcommittee meeting on Monday and asked a panel of experts to start …
Read More »Ebola lockdown fear
Lessons from COVID show it’s a bad idea COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT | Since the first case of the current Ebola outbreak in Uganda was confirmed on September 20, the number of cases had by November 04 topped 131 across seven districts, including 17 in the capital city Kampala. …
Read More »MUSEVENI: There will be no ebola lockdown
Kampala, Uganda | Xinhua | President Yoweri Museveni on Friday ruled out an Ebola lockdown, urging the public to concentrate on work. “People should go ahead and concentrate on their work without worry,” Museveni said in a tweet. The president, however, said the public should be more vigilant and observe the …
Read More »Ebola: Don’t repeat COVID mistakes
The international response to the Ebola outbreak has been limited, leaving Uganda more isolated than it should be COMMENT | IRENE ATUHAIRWE DUHANGA | With news of Uganda announcing a three-week lockdown in two districts and the first Ebola death in Kampala — the capital city of over 3 million …
Read More »Fighting Ebola ‘quietly’
Health Minister Aceng’s recipe for success or failure? Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has the ability to effectively respond to its first Ebola virus outbreak in more than a decade and to curb its spread to other regions and neighbouring countries. That is the expressed view of the …
Read More »COVID-19 still int’l health emergency: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that COVID-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO’s highest alert level. The announcement came although the number of weekly deaths is almost at its lowest level since the pandemic began. The WHO’s …
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