ANALYSIS | Charles Shey Wiysonge | The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for TB has been used for 100 years. It is largely effective for children under five, but less so in older people and can’t be used on patients who have certain medical conditions. Today we’re the closest we’ve ever been to …
Read More »Bill Gates gives $40m in science funding
Talks gene drives, mRNA at Grand Challenges meeting ANALYSIS | NONTOBEKO MLAMBO | Infectious diseases are major causes of deaths in Africa. The burden of existing, emerging and re-emerging diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cholera, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, sleeping sickness, Ebola and SARS continues to grow – and once you move …
Read More »Saving lives of mothers and newborns
Uganda’s 3rd Safe Motherhood Conference discusses innovative solutions Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda’s Ministry of Health, in partnership with PATH Uganda, convened a three-day conference to address the pressing issue of maternal mortality. The “Safe Motherhood Conference” aim was to share insights, discuss innovative solutions, and strategize on reducing …
Read More »Biggest cervical cancer drug advance in 20 years
Five-year survival odds improve when women receive so-called induction chemotherapy before their standard treatment regimen, a new study suggests ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Giving chemotherapy to patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) before their standard treatment regimen boosts their five-year survival odds by 39 percent, a new study finds. “This …
Read More »AAR Health Services, Bluewave, and Airtel Money partners
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel Money Uganda has partnered with AAR Health Services and Bluewave to introduce Ddwaliro Care, a comprehensive and affordable Health insurance cover, specifically tailored to cater to the diverse needs of individuals and families. The Managing Director Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited, Japhet Aritho, affirms …
Read More »Researcher targets malaria mosquito
Abdoulaye Diabaté and his team are betting on gene technology, along with a clutch of brand-new vaccines to help the world end malaria for good SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | On a busy morning in the Nagrin district of Ouagadougou. Balkissa Wangrawa, a Burkinabe community-based health volunteer, keenly scouts through …
Read More »Aceng begs for electricity for hospitals
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Minister of Health, Jane Ruth Aceng, has begged parliament to help connect hospitals to industrial power lines in another sign of neglect for the health sector. “The Ministry of Energy is aware. All the hospitals need three-phase transformers but are connected to one-phase transformers. My …
Read More »Healthcare system of war-torn Sudan pushed to “point of collapse
Khartoum, Sudan | Xinhua | Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned Thursday about the bleak reality of Sudanese people struggling to get critical medical help amid the country’s deadly conflict. The conflict, which started nearly six months ago between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary …
Read More »Ugandan doctors win Africa Young Innovators for Health Award
HEALTH NEWS | AGENCIES | The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and Speak Up Africa have announced the winners of the second edition of the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award. Teniola Adedeji (Nigeria) and Dr. Moses Ochora (Uganda) have been announced as first prize winners and Nura …
Read More »1 in 10 babies worldwide are born early
Poor maternal health and malnutrition underpin the high numbers London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | An estimated 13.4 million babies were born early (before 37 full weeks of pregnancy) in 2020 which is around 1 in 10 of all live births – according to a detailed study published in the Lancet …
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