Policy Crucial to Support Co-existence of Used Clothing Imports and Local Manufacturing By Sharon Atieno Against intentions by the East African Community (EAC) to phase out imports of used clothing (mitumba) in the region, the Kenyan government has been urged to put in place policy frameworks that support the co-existence of mitumba and local textile […]

Africa: First All-Oral Treatment for Rare Strain of Sleeping Sickness Available  By Gift Briton An oral treatment is now saving lives across East and Southern Africa, replacing painful injections and lengthy hospital stays for patients with a rare but deadly strain of sleeping sickness. Five African countries, including Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have […]

Africa Urged to Embrace Comprehensive Sexuality Education By Sharon Atieno Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is key to tackling sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues among adolescents, particularly early pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Dr. Anthony Ajayi, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) said during a Media for Environment, Science, Health […]

Famine, Flies and Fever: The Climate-Driven Rise of Kala-Azar in Kenya By Samuel Doe Ouma In Kenya’s Turkana County and neighboring counties, there is a devastating outbreak of kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis (VL), but it’s not acting alone. Children, their bodies weakened by hunger, are succumbing to Kala-azar, a parasitic disease transmitted by […]

Gates Foundation Pledges $200 Billion to Save, Improve Lives By Gift Briton The Gates Foundation has announced a $200 billion commitment to be deployed over the next 20 years, doubling its funding and accelerating its plan to close operations by 2045. The money will largely be spent on ending preventable deaths of mothers and babies, […]

Reforms Needed in the African R&D Landscape, Experts Say By Sharon Atieno Bridging existing gaps is crucial for Africa to realize its full potential in research and development (R&D), experts said at the Evidence for Development (Evi4Dev) conference in Nairobi, Kenya. They were speaking during a panel discussion titled, “Empowering African R&D: Practical pathways to […]

Africa Urged to Focus on Innovative Approaches to Increase Health Financing By Sharon Atieno Despite African countries not meeting the Abuja declaration commitment of allocating 15 percent of national budgets to health, dwindling donor funding is worsening the situation. A World Health Organization (WHO)  report shows that about 150 million Africans are pushed into or […]

A Thorn in the Flesh, Pain and Stigma: The Silent Scourge of Mycetoma in Turkana By Samuel Doe Ouma In the sun-scorched plains of Turkana County, northern Kenya, a silent affliction creeps beneath the skin — often entering the body through nothing more than a prick that some locals attribute to a thorn, while some […]