Health – Page 16 – Science Africa

Uganda on High Alert Following Confirmed Case of Ebola

Uganda on High Alert Following Confirmed Case of Ebola By Mary Hearty Uganda has declared an Ebola outbreak after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed from a sample taken in Mubende district, central part of the country. The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the case after testing a sample taken from […]

Africa: Bacterial Infection Misdiagnosed as Severe Malaria in Children

Africa: Bacterial Infection Misdiagnosed as Severe Malaria in Children By Mary Hearty Finding malaria parasites in a blood smear or a positive rapid diagnostic test (RDT) in a sick child does not necessarily mean that malaria is the cause of the illness. This is according to a research published in The Lancet titled: Substantial Misdiagnosis […]

Marburg Outbreak in Ghana is Over

Marburg Outbreak in Ghana is Over By Sharon Atieno With no new cases being reported in 42 days (two incubation periods), Ghana has declared the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak that was confirmed nearly two months ago. It was the first time the highly infectious haemorrhagic fever was detected in the West African […]

Africa: Alarm as Antimicrobial Resistance Testing Capacity Wanting

Africa: Alarm as Antimicrobial Resistance Testing Capacity Wanting By Sharon Atieno Though Africa was found to have the highest mortality rate from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections in the world, with 24 deaths per 100,000 attributable to AMR in 2019, testing is still a challenge for most African countries. This is according to a new data released on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) […]

15 Sep, 22

Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution Likely to Cause Premature Death

Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution Likely to Cause Premature Death By Gift Briton With research showing that air pollution in most Kenyan cities are beyond the threshold, experts note that long-term exposure to ambient air pollution may cause lung cancer, stroke and heart failure thereby leading to premature death. Furthermore, World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that […]

Africa: Meningitis Outbreak Threatens Over 50 Million Children

Africa: Meningitis Outbreak Threatens Over 50 Million Children By Mary Hearty In Africa, meningitis type A, one of the deadliest and most disabling illness season is particularly long, stretching from January to June, according to World Health Organization (WHO). With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying meningitis vaccination campaigns for more than 50 million children in Africa, […]

Malaria : Booster Doses Needed to Sustain Protection in Children

Malaria : Booster Doses Needed to Sustain Protection in Children By Mary Hearty A new study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases suggests that malaria booster vaccine doses are likely needed to sustain protection in children in Africa, especially those living in areas of highly seasonal malaria transmission. Speaking during a media briefing held by the Science […]

Urgent Assistance Needed to Avert Acute Hunger Crisis in Somalia

Urgent Assistance Needed to Avert Acute Hunger Crisis in Somalia By Mary Hearty An estimated 20.5 million people across the Horn of Africa are reportedly facing a dire and entirely avoidable hunger crisis, with Somalia being hit hardest. According to a statement by the principals of Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) of the World Health Organization […]

New Executive Director for Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases initiative

New Executive Director for Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases initiative By Mary Hearty Dr Luiz Pizarro, a medical doctor and global health expert is the new Executive Director of the Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases initiative (DNDi), an international non-profit medical research organization. The global health expert succeeds Dr Bernard Pécoul, who founded the organization […]

Childhood Cancer Still a Cause for Concern

Childhood Cancer Still a Cause for Concern By Elisha Singira Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents, with the group being more vulnerable in low and middle-income countries where survival rates are low as a result of delay in diagnosis, an inability to obtain an accurate diagnosis, inaccessible therapy, abandonment of […]