Africa: UN Concerned By Spread of Cholera to 10 African Countries

[ad_1] Harare, Zimbabwe — The U.N.'s Children's Fund expressed alarm this week about a cholera outbreak in Africa that has spread to at least 10 countries, with the situation in Zambia and Zimbabwe "very serious." Dr. Paul Ngwakum, the regional health adviser for UNICEF in East and Southern Africa, said about 200,000 cases have been reported and more than 3,000 lives taken by the disease. Of the 10 countries he named as having an active outbreak, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Somalia, […]

January 19, 2024

Africa

Africa: Malaria-Free Cape Verde a ‘Beacon of Hope’ for Africa

[ad_1] The World Health Organization has certified Cape Verde as malaria-free, hailing the development as a significant milestone in the fight against the disease. But much remains to be done. The news that Cape Verde is malaria-free was received with great joy. Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva said the "historic moment" called for celebration -- and not just because of the positive impact on the health of the population. "In a country where tourism is a main source of […]

January 18, 2024

Africa

Africa: Tobacco Use Declining Despite Industry Interference – WHO

[ad_1] The number of people using tobacco continues to decline despite industry attempts to jeopardize progress towards stamping out cigarettes and other such products, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report published on Tuesday. Trends in 2022 showed that roughly one in five adults worldwide uses tobacco, compared to one in three in the year 2000. While cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide, other products include cigars, waterpipe tobacco also known as hookah, […]

January 18, 2024

Africa

Africa: Covid Barely Gets a Mention These Days – Here’s Why That’s a Dangerous Situation

[ad_1] The United States experienced its second largest COVID wave of the pandemic in January 2024. For the year to December 2023, in England COVID rates peaked at around one in 24 people. During the same month, Singapore also experienced record COVID cases and a spike in hospitalisations. COVID, then, is still a major public health problem, accounting for 10,000 deaths in 50 countries and a 42% increase in hospitalisations during December 2023 alone. COVID may not be a global […]

January 17, 2024

Africa

Southern Africa: As Cholera Cases Continue to Rise in Parts of Southern Africa, Unicef Calls for Increased Focus On Children in the Cholera Response

[ad_1] Nairobi — UNICEF redoubles support to concerned governments in the cholera response The cholera epidemic that affected multiple countries in Eastern and Southern Africa in 2023 persists and continues to impact the region, placing additional strain on communities and healthcare facilities. Since 2023, 13 countries in the region have battled one of the worst cholera outbreaks to hit the region in years, and as of 15 January 2024, more than 200,000 cases, including over 3000 deaths, have been reported. […]

January 16, 2024

Africa

Africa: Hunger, Drought, Child Mortality in Africa Fall Out of Focus

[ad_1] From Angola to Zambia: The 2023 top ten forgotten humanitarian crises all took place in Africa, says Care International, and climate change played a huge role. The organization's takeaway: More media attention is needed. Crises in Africa are being overlooked, with news about humanitarian emergencies on the continent buried beneath the weight of media attention focused elsewhere, Care International's 2023 "Breaking the silence" report concludes. That means issues such as hunger in Angola, chronic malnutrition in Burundi and high […]

January 16, 2024

Africa

Africa: 60 Percent of Africa’s Food Is Based On Wheat, Rice and Maize – the Continent’s Crop Treasure Trove Is Being Neglected

[ad_1] African countries have become reliant on a few food items. Just 20 plant species now provide 90% of our food, with three - wheat, maize and rice - accounting for 60% of all calories consumed on the continent and globally. This deprives the continent of diverse food sources, at the very time when research has found massive food and nutrition insecurity in Africa. By 2020, about 20% of the continent's population (281.6 million) faced hunger. This figure is likely […]

January 15, 2024

Africa

Cape Verde: WHO Certifies Cabo Verde As Malaria-Free, Marking a Historic Milestone in the Fight Against Malaria

[ad_1] The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde as a malaria-free country, marking a significant achievement in global health. With this announcement, Cabo Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and 1 territory that WHO has awarded this certification. Cabo Verde is the third country to be certified in the WHO African region, joining Mauritius and Algeria which were certified in 1973 and 2019 respectively. Malaria burden is the highest on the African continent, which accounted for approximately […]

January 12, 2024

Africa

Africa: Long Covid – Damaged Mitochondria in Muscles Might Be Linked to Some of the Symptoms

[ad_1] It's estimated around 3% of people in the UK experience long COVID - persistent, long-lasting symptoms after a COVID-19 infection. Long COVID encompasses a range of health problems that can begin after even a mild COVID infection. Some of these symptoms include extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches and loss of smell. For around 50% of long COVID sufferers, their symptoms also fit criteria for a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a neuro-immune disease characterised by depleted energy, […]

January 12, 2024

Health and Medicine