Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | An unlicensed Ebola vaccine could soon be tested in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo hit by an outbreak of the virus, the World Health Organization said Thursday. There is no licensed vaccine for the Ebola virus, but a promising candidate vaccine …
Read More »Swallowable balloons work to curb obesity
Paris, France | AFP | Weight-loss balloons swallowed rather than surgically inserted in the stomach were shown to be safe and effective in preliminary trials, according to findings unveiled Thursday at a medical conference. So-called intragastric balloons have been used for decades to help obese patients shed unwanted kilos. Inflated …
Read More »Under police escort, S.African ambulances brave attacks
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | When an emergency call comes in from one of South Africa’s most crime-ridden neighbourhoods, ambulances do not rush straight to the scene but to a police station first to request an armed escort. A surge in attacks on ambulance workers has led to …
Read More »Kamuli gets 391,000 mosquito nets
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has launched a mass distribution of over 390,000 insecticide treated mosquito nets in Kamuli to curb incidents of malaria in the eastern region. The distribution is part of a countrywide effort by the Malaria Control Programme under the Ministry of Health, which commenced in …
Read More »Nigeria says vigilant after DR Congo Ebola deaths
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria on Monday said it had stepped up health surveillance and vigilance was high at entry ports after an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least three people. “The minister has directed the director of health services at the ports to …
Read More »EBOLA: The remoteness of the DRC outbreak will help contain the spread
Ebola in DR Congo’s isolated far north a logistical challenge Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | An Ebola outbreak in a remote region in DR Congo’s far north poses a logistical challenge for doctors and aid workers although the sheer remoteness could help limit its spread. The latest outbreak of …
Read More »Theresa May confirms major cyber attacks strike worldwide
London, United Kingdom | AFP | An international cyber attack on Friday struck countries including the UK and Spain, British Prime Minister Theresa May said, as security experts warned it could affect many other countries. The UK’s state-run National Health Service declared a “major incident” after the attack, which forced …
Read More »Ebola in DRC
Ebola epidemic declared in northeast DR Congo, three dead: WHO Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The first Ebola outbreak since the crisis in West Africa that killed 11,300 people has been declared in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said Friday, after the virus caused three …
Read More »Mugabe not asleep but resting his eyes
NOT SLEEPING: At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the President cannot suffer bright lights. If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting. Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 93, is not asleep when he closes his eyes for …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s Mugabe flies to Singapore for health check
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe has flown to Singapore for a “routine medical check-up”, state media reported Tuesday. “President Mugabe yesterday (Monday) left Zimbabwe for Singapore for his routine medical check-up,” The Herald newspaper reported. “He is expected back in Zimbabwe at the weekend.” The …
Read More »