Day: September 10, 2025

Childhood Obesity Emerging as a Global Public Health Crisis

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Childhood obesity is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide, with millions of children now overweight or obese, according to a new global nutrition report. The report reveals that between 1990 and 2022, the number of children living with obesity soared from 31 million to 58 million, while the number of overweight children rose from 61 million to 104 million. Together, this means more than 160 million children globally are either overweight or obese, a staggering rise that health experts warn poses serious…

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Africa Lags Behind in Mental Health Spending, Allocating Less Than 10 Cents Per Person

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere At a time when African Governments are seized with the scourge of drug and substance misuse, Zimbabwe included, they are spending less than US$0.10 per capita on mental health, compared to more than US$50 in other regions of the world. Government expenditure per capita refers to the total government spending divided by the total population, representing the average amount of public money spent per person in a country. This stark underinvestment was highlighted in the World Mental Health Atlas 2024, released earlier this month by the World…

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Dust, Gold, and Infection: Midlands Province Grapples with Mining-Driven HIV Epidemic

Michael Gwarisa
A young artisanal miner operates a lever at a mine shaft in Gokwe, Zimbabwe, highlighting the risks faced by children working in unsafe mining environments.

By Michael Gwarisa in Midlands Province As one descends the winding Boterekwa curves in Shurugwi in the Midlands province, the scale of mining activity becomes impossible to ignore. The landscape has transformed dramatically since the turn of the millennium. In the distance, rocks are blasted from the earth, sending thick clouds of dust into the sky. Just past the curves, Musasa Shopping Centre is a hive of activity. Evidence of the night’s revelry litters the open space, with empty beer bottles and used condoms scattered near Chirasha Bar, one of…

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