Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization Friday changed its advice on face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying they should be worn in places where the virus is widespread and physical distancing is difficult. The use of masks has been a hot topic ever since the pandemic first …
Read More »‘No benefit’ from hydroxychloroquine for virus: UK trial
Paris, France | AFP | A major British trial of hydroxychloroquine has found it has “no benefit” for patients hospitalised with the coronavirus, researchers said Friday, announcing they had stopped tests of the drug. “We have concluded that there is no beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalised with COVID-19,” said a statement from the …
Read More »Uganda pledges USD 1 million to support vaccine programs in poor countries
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has pledged USD 1 million (3.7 billion Shillings) in funding for vaccine programmes in the world’s poorest countries. Uganda’s first-ever pledge to be given in installments until 2025, was announced at a Global Vaccines Summit attended by representatives from 52 countries including 35 …
Read More »UN chief backs global access to ‘people’s vaccine’ for coronavirus
London, United Kingdom | AFP | United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said a new vaccine against the coronavirus had to be available to everyone across the world, as an international conference got under way to raise funds for new life-saving treatments. The virtual meeting, hosted by Britain, aims …
Read More »WHO teams arrive in Mbandaka as DRC battles fresh ebola outbreak
Mbandaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nearly 50 staff from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have arrived in Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to tackle yet another outbreak of Ebola in the country. The responders carried 3,500 doses of Ebola vaccine and 2,000 cartridges …
Read More »WHO to resume hydroxychloroquine coronavirus trials
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine will resume as it searches for potential coronavirus treatments. On May 25, the WHO announced it had temporarily suspended the trials to conduct a safety review, which has now concluded there is “no reason” to change the …
Read More »Hydroxychloroquine: a drug dividing the world
Paris, France | AFP | Banned in some countries, promoted in others — the drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus is dividing opinion worldwide. Scientists looking to find licenced medicines that could be repurposed as a treatment for COVID-19 had started tests of hydroxychloroquine, normally used to …
Read More »COVER STORY: Covid is no joke
2500 Ugandans could die Kampala, Uganda | JOSEPH WERE | Uganda on May 26 took a bold step and eased a 60-day lockdown imposed in March when the first case of the Coronavirus disease COVID-19 was registered in the country. That same day, Uganda registered the highest number of recorded …
Read More »WHO urging countries to revamp awareness on dangers of tobacco consumption
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organization (WHO) lists flavours appealing to young people in smokeless tobacco, Shisha and e-cigrattes among the latest tobacco and related industry tactics to attract younger generations. They also list advertising and product placement on movies and social media platforms with paid influencers …
Read More »Backlash to Trump cutting WHO ties as virus grips Latin America
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | US President Donald Trump faced a broad backlash Saturday over his decision to sever ties with the UN’s health agency during a pandemic, as the coronavirus surged in Latin America and Europe further reopened from lockdown. The EU called on Washington to reconsider its decision to …
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