Author: Healthtimes

Why so many people still die from Aids-related illnesses despite more people being on treatment

Healthtimes

Twenty years ago antiretroviral medicines for HIV were a rare luxury in South Africa. Exorbitant costs and president Thabo Mbeki’s government fierce government opposition against providing antiretroviral treatment (ART) kept it out of the public sector. Those were terrible days. Many lives were lost. By Dr Gilles Van Cutsem Today, one of the main challenges in the fight against Aids is the lack of availability of diagnostics and drugs that can help save lives of people suffering from advanced HIV; who are very vulnerable to deadly opportunistic infections such as…

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2020 Top 15 Outstanding Health Champions

Healthtimes

THE Year 2020 has not been an easy one for the global health sector at the back of a global health pandemic, the COVID-19. In Zimbabwe, even though the virus has not been as severe as other countries in the developed world, some lives were lost while a sizable number also got infected. To worsen Zimbabwe’s health crisis in the midst of COVID-19, a nationwide healthcare industrial action also ensued which saw numerous negative public health outcomes being recorded. In the midst of all this misery and loss, a number…

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Debunking The COVID-19 preventive Misconception As Zimbabwe And Africa Face A Resurgence Of Cases

Healthtimes
Dr Grant Murewanhema

BY some stroke of luck, or as yet unexplained factor(s), Zimbabwe, and indeed most of Sub-Saharan Africa, have been spared from the full wrath of SARS-CoV-2, the causative coronavirus for COVID-19. For a virus that decimated populations in developed countries with advanced healthcare, the worst was expected for Africa. By Dr Grant Murewanhema Projections were that Africa was going to be grossly overwhelmed with cases; formal hospitals would be filled to capacity, including floors and passages, and there would be a need for makeshift hospitals. For a virus whose spread…

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World Diabetes Day: Nurses Critical In Screening And Management Of Diabetes

Healthtimes

TODAY, Zimbabwe and the international community observes the World Diabetes Day to raise awareness around the chronic illness. To mark this important day, the Government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Health and Child Care have provided a three-day screening campaign for Gweru residents, with the support from the Zimbabwe Diabetes Association and the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO Communications Department “This is a noble initiative that my whole community and I really appreciate and hoping this will be done more often. I cannot afford to pay for diabetes screening…

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Best Dust Mite Covers

Healthtimes

Dust mites are a common household problem in the United States and all over the world. These microscopic insects feed on dead skin, making them highly attracted to our homes and especially places where skin cells are most prevalent like bedding, furniture, and carpeting. SOURCE:  How I Get Rid Of HQ While it’s nearly impossible to get rid of dust mites altogether, there are some steps you can take to reduce the dust mite population inside your home while also protecting yourself and loved ones from these annoying, allergy-inducing arachnids,…

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Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Very Promising’ But Cold Chain Issues: WHO

Healthtimes

THE World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief said on Tuesday it hopes to have a COVID-19 vaccine by year-end and that Pfizer’s experimental remedy is “a very promising one”, with more expected. SOURCE: Reuters But the vaccine, based on a novel technology that uses synthetic mRNA to activate the immune system against the virus, comes with special challenges as it needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or below – equivalent to an Antarctic winter. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated the United Nations agency’s call for…

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#CancerTalkWithMichelle: Cancer Awareness In The Times Of A COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthtimes

THE world over, focus has shifted towards managing, treating and preventing COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 has literally overshadowed other ailments including Cancer, one of the leading causes of death in Zimbabwe which is currently killing more people than  HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria and COVID-19 combined. By Michelle Madzudzo However, a dearth of data, shortage of testing equipment, lack of proven treatments or vaccine  and the speed at which the coronavirus spreads has resulted in the virus being portrayed as a much bigger threat compared to all time ravenous cancers such as…

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UNAIDS Donates Hygiene Kits To People Living With HIV

Healthtimes
ZNNP+ Receives donation from UNAIDS

THE United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)together with Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (RB) have donated 10 000 hygiene kits to people living with HIV(PLWHIV) to protect and safeguard people living with HIV from the Corona virus. The donation has been made through the Zimbabwe National Network of PLWHIV (ZNNP+). By Patricia Mashiri This donation comes after the realisation that basic hygiene kits form part of the essential commodities necessary in the prevention and fight against COVID-19 and other ailments especially now that the country has relaxed lockdown regulations. Identified 10,000…

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Bimonthly Injectable PrEP More Effective Than Daily Oral PrEP- New Study

Healthtimes

BIOMONTHLY injectable Pre Exposure Profilaxes (PrEP) has been found to be more effective than daily oral PrEP in preventing HIV acquisition among cisgender women, according to newly released interim results from the landmark HPTN 084 study. According to the study, cabotegravir was 89% more effective than daily oral FTC/TDF for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The early study unblinding for superior efficacy in this prevention trial in women follows results reported earlier this year from a companion study (HPTN 083) that also established long-acting cabotegravir’s superiority to daily oral PrEP in preventing…

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Zimbabwe Opens School Classes Despite Increase in New COVID-19 Infections

Healthtimes

ZIMBABWE today, November 9, 2020 resumes all school classes from Early Childhood Development (ECD) up to Advanced level in line with government set schedule. HealthTimes Brief The resumption of classes however comes at a time Zimbabwe is recording increased cases of COVID-19 with majority of them being local transmissions. According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) daily COVID-19 update of November, 8, 2020, recovery rate has dropped from a high of 95% in the past few weeks to 93%, with daily infection rate rising to 5.6% 33…

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