Biotechnology – Science Africa

UN Global Road Safety Week: Making Walking, Cycling Safe

UN Global Road Safety Week: Making Walking, Cycling Safe As the world marks the 8th United Nations (UN) Global Road Safety Week, under the theme “Make walking and cycling safe,” the World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a new toolkit to help governments promote active mobility- by making it safer. Each year, nearly 1.2 million people […]

13 May, 25

Africa Urged to Embrace Comprehensive Sexuality Education

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 […]

13 May, 25

Famine, Flies and Fever: The Climate-Driven Rise of Kala-Azar in Kenya

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 […]

12 May, 25

Gates Foundation Pledges $200 Billion to Save, Improve Lives

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, […]

12 May, 25

Reforms Needed in the African R&D Landscape, Experts Say

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 […]

08 May, 25

Africa Urged to Focus on Innovative Approaches to Increase Health Financing

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 […]

08 May, 25

A Thorn in the Flesh, Pain and Stigma: The Silent Scourge of Mycetoma in Turkana

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 […]

08 May, 25

Data, Evidence, Innovation Essential for AU’s Agenda 2063

Data, Evidence, Innovation Essential for AU’s Agenda 2063 By Sharon Atieno Data, evidence, and innovation are crucial to actualize Africa’s aspirations of achieving inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development as envisioned in the African Union(AU)’s Agenda 2063. Experts said during the evidence for development (Evi4Dev) conference convened by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Science […]

GMOs: Kenya to Host Regional Reference Molecular Laboratory

GMOs: Kenya to Host Regional Reference Molecular Laboratory By Duncan Mboyah Kenya is constructing a regional reference molecular laboratory to help Eastern African countries in handling and using Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, Principal Secretary, State Department for Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said that the laboratory will be […]

AMR: Gaps in Access to Antibiotic Treatment Fueling Resistance Cases

AMR: Gaps in Access to Antibiotic Treatment Fueling Resistance Cases By Sharon Atieno A new study reveals that inadequate access to appropriate treatment is resulting in increased cases of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low—and middle-income countries (LMICs). The study, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, looked at which antibiotics were available to treat nearly 1.5 […]