Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have reached the goal of ’95-95-95′ targets for ending AIDS by 2030. Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is among five African countries that have committed to ending AIDS by 2030, the country’s health minister, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, has said. She said that 96 percent of Tanzanians living with HIV infection are aware of their…
THE European Union (EU) envoy in Guyana has been facilitating talks for possible pharmaceutical production in Guyana. This is according to European Union Ambassador to Guyana Rene Van Nes, during an interview with reporters on Thursday. He said that this initiative is about seeing if Guyana, together with Barbados and Rwanda could play a role in pharmaceutical production. Van…
Dar es Salaam. Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Muhas) plan to transform into a Medical Academic City by 2050, has received an additional $45.5 million boost from the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project. The project, with a total of $425 million (about Sh972 billion) is the government’s effort together with the World Bank to improve…
Summary The World Health Organisation has declared the country the best performer in the Covid-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership among 34 African nations whose vaccination rates were below 10 percent by January 2022 Dar es Salaam. Until early 2021, Tanzania was a Covid-19 denier, but two years later, the World Health Organisation (WHO) now ranks the country as the best…
The United Nations suggested on Wednesday that instead of focusing solely on the growing global population, it is imperative to consider women’s reproductive rights to bolster “demographic resilience.” The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, has recognized that there is a significant level of concern regarding the global population, expected to reach a maximum of approximately 10.4 billion…
London, Apr. 13 (BNA): A keenly-watched malaria vaccine from Oxford University has secured its first approval, in Ghana, as the African country ramps up efforts to combat the mosquito-borne disease that kills a child every minute. The effort is one of several focused on addressing the disease that kills over 600,000 each year, most of them children in Africa….
Summary A total of 212 people who were suspected to have contacts with the patients were so far traced and 35 of them have already been released Dar es Salaam. One patient among those diagnosed with Marburg virus in Kagera region was discharged yesterday, making him the first recovered case from the killer disease that was reported last month….
Forests are often called the lungs of the planet, because they absorb harmful carbon dioxide and produce life-giving oxygen so it’s no exaggeration to equate healthy forests with healthy people, the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests. Covering 31 per cent of Earth’s land and providing a home to 80 per cent of all land-based species, forests…
By Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – As a human being, you have an inherent responsibility to accept and embrace your nature in all its forms and possible manners of acting. Don’t construct imaginary walls around yourself that become increasingly hard to break as time passes, or worse, invite others to join you in the…
Two-and-a-half billion dollars: that’s how much funding the UN World Health Organization (WHO) will need across its operations this year, it said on Monday, to help a record number of people facing disease and starvation. In its appeal, the WHO said that a staggering 339 million people now need humanitarian assistance globally. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the UN agency’s Director-General,…
Marking the occasion of World Diabetes Day, The Evercare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Evercare Group, has announced a week-long program of free diabetes testing and health education across Evercare facilities in Africa and South Asia. The Evercare Foundation aims to provide equitable health for all and the development of more resilient health systems across low and middle-income…
THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Vodafone Foundation have committed 15 million US dollars (about 34.9bn/-), to expand maternal health emergency transportation systems in Tanzania. The funds are a direct response to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s request for collaboration in expanding the programme, to ensure hospital transit for women across the country. The commitment was…
Most people agree that it’s vital to grow old healthily. In Africa, healthy life expectancy has increased by ten years — more than anywhere else. DW explores the reasons for this and examines how the trend can continue. The “Margaret Kenyatta” mother-and-child hospital wing in Nakuru, Kenya is the country’s second-largest maternity ward. It boasts around 250 beds, where…
Aspen Pharmacare mulls switch to other manufacturing efforts Africa’s first COVID-19 vaccine manufacture, Aspen Pharmacare of South Africa, has been hit by a serious slump in orders that threatens its future. Aspen Pharmacare is producing, pricing and selling its own branded version of the Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed Aspenovax. The partnership agreement between Aspen Pharmacare and J&J…
With malaria one of the biggest killers of children under 5, the world’s first vaccine against a parasite is a major breakthrough for child health. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has awarded a contract for the first ever supply of a malaria vaccine to pharmaceutical company – GSK – with a value of up to U.S.$170 million. The…
The outgoing director of Africa Centres for Disease Control has seen Ebola, Aids and now Covid – and warns complacency is dangerous The past five years have been “like going from one fire to the next, with barely any time to catch your breath”, says John Nkengasong, the outgoing head of the body charged with responding to health emergencies…
An early assessment of the continent’s water security finds finds Egypt ranked most secure – but climate change presenting threats across Africa Little of Africa’s wastewater is treated, water for drinking and hand-washing is scarce for hundreds of millions of people, and water-related disasters like flooding are on the rise, particularly in West Africa. But a first effort by…
Vaccines remain critical for saving lives and livelihoods. But, misinformation spreads fast, so we need to be smarter and more creative to spread the right information faster. People make the right choices to protect themselves and their families when they have the facts. KEY TAKEAWAYS Vaccines remain critical for providing protection against the virus, massively reducing the chances of…
The South African Cabinet has approved changes to the Adjusted Alert Level 1 COVID-19 regulations as South Africa has exited the fourth wave nationally. Based on the trajectory of the pandemic and the levels of vaccination in the country, Cabinet has decided to make changes to Adjusted Alert Level 1 with immediate effect. With the new changes, those who test positive…
For two whole years, the Covid19 health crisis has disrupted education systems worldwide and forced school closures which have impacted hundreds of millions of children. All of them have suffered learning loss. Some, though, have suffered more than others. In developed countries, access at home to computers and cheap and reliable broadband allowed students to make the transition to…
ADDIS ABABA, The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 10,564,758 as of Sunday evening, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases on the continent, it said. South Africa has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Africa with 3,579,428…
A recent study published in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Pediatrics medical journal shows that children in sub-Saharan Africa are dying of Covid-19 at a much higher rate than children in Europe and the US. The study was led by Professor Jean B. Nachega, an infectious diseases epidemiologist associated with South Africa’s own Stellenbosch University and the University of Pittsburgh in…
The Pfizer arrangement is far advanced … In time, if we narrow this down and finalize … with Pfizer, I’m sure we’ll engage with Merck as well,’ he said Africa’s top public health body plans to talk to Merck about obtaining supplies of its molnupiravir treatment pill for Covid-19, although talks with Pfizer about its Paxlovid medication were more…
South Africa, spearheading the fight for equal access to vaccines against Covid-19, launched Wednesday in Cape Town the continent’s first factory that will manufacture doses from scratch, funded by biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.The goal is the production of “a second-generation vaccine, and we want to make it in Africa, for Africa, and export it around the world,” said the…
Weekly COVID-19 cases in Africa have dropped significantly and deaths dipped for the first time since the peak of the fourth pandemic wave propelled by the Omicron variant. The decline nudges the continent past its shortest upsurge yet that lasted 56 days. Newly reported cases fell by 20% in the week to 16 January, while deaths dropped by 8%….
Egypt is the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to use nOPV2, a next-generation version of the existing type 2 monovalent OPV (mOPV2) CAIRO, Egypt, A nationwide campaign to vaccinate 16.5 million children under age five with novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) began this week in Egypt. Egypt is the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean…
There is a pressing need to address the inequalities fueling the twin pandemics of HIV and COVID-19 including stronger support for community-led responses ABUJA, Nigeria, The emergence of the COVID 19 omicron variant, has continued to rage, with attendant consequences. The situation is posing an even greater strain on progress with ending AIDS, disrupting HIV prevention and treatment services,…
UNFPA and its partners have deployed mobile health units throughout the country GHAT, Libya, Rahma was delivering at home when complications arose: obstructed labour, internal bleeding and low haemoglobin levels. The 18-year-old, a migrant from Niger, was rushed to a mobile health unit in Ghat, where after undergoing a Caesarean section and blood transfusion, she gave birth to a…
The Sidilega Private Hospital has a vision – to create a world-class, fully digitized radiology department that will empower more radiologists to grow their skill set while enabling Botswana to become a leading center of excellence in Southern Africa GABORONE, Botswana, It’s already happening, thanks to Mrs. Isaacs – the visionary Head of Radiology Department, who not only set…
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems The FAO One Health Monitoring Tool aids local, national and regional entities to assess progress made and identify gaps. The Tanzania One Health Coordination Desk, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),…
The project will help improve the food and nutritional security of 144,800 people, particularly women and children BAMAKO, Mali, The Government of Sweden, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a four-year programme to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities affected by…
The virtual Forum unveiled Recipes for success: policy innovations to transform Africa’s food systems and build resilience KIGALI, Rwanda, The Malabo Montpellier Panel at AKADEMIYA2063 (www.AKADEMIYA2063.org) recently concluded the 9th edition of the biannual Malabo Montpellier Forum (https://bit.ly/3rykPXW) to offer a roadmap of policy innovations for food systems transformation, building resilience and adapting to climate change. The 9th Meeting of the Malabo…
The World Health Organization categorized Omicron as a Covid-19 “variant of concern”, signifying that it could be more contagious than other known mutations SAL, Cape Verde, Cabo Verde President José Maria Neves on Thursday joined the development community in calling for urgent universal vaccine access as a way to mitigate the impact of Omicron and other variants of the…
In a video message, Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary General, stated that vaccine inequality could cost African countries billions of dollars SAL, Cape Verde, Cabo Verde President José Maria Neves on Thursday joined the development community in calling for urgent universal vaccine access as a way to mitigate the impact of Omicron and other variants of the Covid-19 virus….
The move is expected to improve the landscape of cancer management for children in Zimbabwe BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, – Zimbabwe is making great strides in strengthening cancer management as part of the country’s efforts to make Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) services more accessible. With the growing number of NCDs and the impact COVID-19 has had on people with cancer and other…
Urban populations will benefit from the contribution through WFP’s Urban Resilience Building Programme which aims to reach up to 180,000 households across 19 urban domains HARARE, Zimbabwe, The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$5.7 million contribution from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support people experiencing vulnerability to food insecurity across urban and…
Although school closures and disruptions have affected all children, the impact has been far greater for children in low-income countries LONDON, United Kingdom,– Millions of children have not returned to school in low-income countries after classrooms were closed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with up to one in five children missing out on an education, a new Save the Children school…
The Ministry Health has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up and implementation of a government of Kenya and Donors Sustainable Financing Mechanism for the Procurement of Family Planning (FP) Commodities, a move that will see access to FP commodities valued at 2.5 billion shillings. Speaking during the signing ceremony in Nairobi, Health principal Secretary, Susan Mochache…
USAID ANNOUNCES NEW U.S. GOVERNMENT GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY Administrator Samantha Power has announced the updated and enhanced U.S. government Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS), at an event hosted by the White House and joined by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Administrator Power announced that the updated GFSS aims to contribute to reducing poverty and child stunting by 20…
By Charles Mwangi, cmmwangi85@gmail.com The calamity of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced many to stay indoors, but this can also be viewed as a blessing in disguise. People should look at the situation as a chance to find out different things about themselves, that is inner talents and skills that might be buried deep inside a person. One should…
By Charles Mwangi, cmmwangi85@gmail.com Nutrition knowledge is important and it influences eating habits. This is according to a dissertation by Leonida Sylvester Luballa (2017) submitted to the Open University of Tanzania. The study highlighted “eating habits and lack of proper nutrition information” as major aspects of malnutrition. Generally, the intake of adequate nutrition/balanced diet is vital for keeping our…
By Charles Mwangi Healthy lifestyle is essential to all especially in this era of COVID-19, enlightenment to people on proper lifestyles will aid in controlling the rates of the infected. Eating the proper foods and exercising builds up one’s body and even improves metabolisms that will help in making the body energetic. Simply using junk food and drinks will…
Brazzaville Tanzania is the first confirmed country in Africa to achieve a well-functioning, regulatory system for medical products according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This means that the Tanzania Food and Drug authority (TFDA) has made considerable improvements in recent years in ensuring medicines in the healthcare system are of good quality, safe and produce the…
On a sector basis, the financial services sector continued to dominate the African IPO market during 2016 with 45% of total value and 55% of total volume, followed by consumer goods and industrials with a total value of 31% and 13% respectively JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, February 16, 2017/ — 2016 marked a challenging year for African equity markets in…
The Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) Summit will be held at Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi, Kenya on 27th -28th August 2016. This will be the first time TICAD is being held in Africa since its inception in 1993. Dar Es Salaam, Aug 27, 2016/- The decision to host TICAD VI Summit in Africa…
Dar es Salaam, 17th October 2015: Contestants in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Tanzania have been challenged to expound their visions and policies towards old age before the polling date. Speaking at a meeting in Dar es salaam on Monday and attended by HelpAge International, Older persons and the media, Smart Daniel who is the Deputy Country Director,…
Kampala, Uganda: As the young men and women took to the stage to showcase their talent, no one except the event organizers could tell their HIV Status. Their blazing faces beaming with a future captivated the cheering audience, a reassurance to everyone that contracting HIV/AIDS was no more a death sentence as it were in yesteryears. And when the…