Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Deaths from the coronavirus epidemic have surpassed 1,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed last night, as hundreds of health experts began meeting at its headquarters in Geneva to help halt the spread of the disease, now officially known as COVID-19. Records indicate that the …
Read More »WHO warns of ‘very grave’ global virus threat
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The head of the World Health Organization on Tuesday warned the novel coronavirus was a “very grave threat” for the world as he opened a conference to combat the epidemic. “With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, …
Read More »From Singapore to UK via the Alps: how one man spread coronavirus
Paris, France | AFP | A British man managed to pass on the coronavirus to at least 11 other people without ever setting foot in the epicentre of the outbreak in China, in an infectious journey that shows how the deadly virus can spread rapidly around a globalised world. …
Read More »GDP and improved health
How sustained economic growth influences health through nutrition and better living conditions THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | In this column last week I argued that economic growth, in spite of its many limitations, remains the most important driver of improved wellbeing. A key measure of wellbeing is …
Read More »Infant sues Dr Agarwal’s eye hospital for medical negligence
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital has been sued by an infant who lost his sight after wrong diagnosis of his condition and alleged negligence. In a suit filed before the Civil Division of High Court in Kampala, the boy, through his mother Margaret Nabbona contends that …
Read More »Death of Chinese doctor fuels anger, demands for change
Beijing, China | AFP | The death of a whistleblowing doctor whose early warnings about China’s new coronavirus outbreak were suppressed by the police has unleashed a wave of anger at the government’s handling of the crisis — and bold demands for more freedom. Ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was among a …
Read More »Global panic deepens over China virus
Beijing, China | AFP | China’s coronavirus crisis worsened Thursday as the death toll soared to 563 and the plight of thousands trapped on quarantined cruise ships deepened global panic over the epidemic. More than 28,000 people have been infected in China, where authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak, …
Read More »COMMENT: China will defeat Coronavirus with international support
COMMENT | Ronald Kato | When I first traveled to China in February of 2017, two things happened. Firstly, I was the first passenger to get off the Emirates flight from Dubai to Beijing. When we touched down at Beijing Capital airport, cabin crew announced that a passenger from Uganda …
Read More »Controversy over Sembabule quarantine
Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Efforts to eliminate the Foot and Mouth Disease-FMD in Sembabule district could fail due to failure to fully enforce a cattle quarantine. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries imposed a quarantine on the district last year following reported cases of FMD. However, …
Read More »Buganda Kingdom, Ministry of Health sign agreement to promote good health
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buganda Kingdom and the Ministry of Health have signed an agreement aimed at promoting good health and fighting HIV/Aids. Dubbed, ‘Cultural Approach against HIV/Aids and the use of cultural approach for good health, the agreement that will run for five years will see Buganda Kingdom …
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