Michael Gwarisa |

Faith and vaccination are not mutually exclusive

January 10, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

Members from various churches gather at the women and girls symposium

Religious leaders from the Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities in Kenya recently came out to support the government’s efforts to vaccinate the population against Covid-19. They called on their congregants to shun myths and misconceptions associated with the vaccine and to get vaccinated in order to better protect themselves from severe illness and hospitalisation as Kenya ramps up its vaccination efforts. This is an important step. And we need to see more of it across the continent. As in many other regions, religion plays a pivotal role in Africa. More…

CDC Reports Increase in Human Rabies Cases Linked to Bats

January 10, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is raising awareness of the risks of rabies from bats in the U.S. after three people, including one child, died from rabies between late September and early November 2021. The three cases, described in the January 6, 2022, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, bring the total number of cases in 2021 to five, compared to no reported rabies cases in people during 2019 and 2020. Over a five-week period between September 28, and November 3, 2021, three people— one each in Idaho,…

Delivering As One Post Cyclone Idai Devastation…The Road To Recovery For Cyclone Idai Survivors

January 5, 2022May 3, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

PETER Mutisi, a Cyclone Idai survivor from Kopa, Chimanimani lost his wife, house and entire business empire to the disaster. For the past two years, he has been struggling to cope with the fact that all he had worked for and the person he loved the most disappeared right in front of his eyes and he couldn’t do anything about it. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Chimanimani “Everything happened so fast, we receive plenty of rainfall every year in these parts and on the fateful night, that is March 15,…

UNAIDS Mourns Archbishop Desmond Tutu

January 3, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

UNAIDS says it is saddened at the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who fought against apartheid in South Africa and combated racism and injustice worldwide and was also a powerful voice in the fight against AIDS, combating denial, demanding access to treatment for all, calling out against discrimination of people living with HIV, and championing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, women, and children. A giant has fallen. Archbishop Tutu was a freedom fighter, a holy man, a great hero who played a history-shaping role in…

#JUSTIN: Gvt Postpones Schools Opening For 2022 First Term

December 31, 2021 Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE President, Emerson Mnangagwa has announced that only examination classes will resume classes as announced by the Ministry while the general school calendar has hereby been delayed until further notice. By Michael Gwarisa In a Televeised address, President Mnanagwa said the move was in line with the Lockdown level two which has been extended by a further 2 weeks, after which an appropriate review will be announced, guided by a scientific appreciation of the situation. “Examination Classes exempt from this delay are however expected to strictly comply with preventive measures.…

AMR In The Midst Of COVID-19: Are We In A Fix?

December 18, 2021December 18, 2021 Michael Gwarisa

ACCORDING to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Antimicrobial resistance (AMR ) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. Antimicrobial resistance threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. By Michael Gwarisa As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. However, over the…

Drug Resistant Gonorrhea Variant Hits Zimbabwe…Country Running Out Of Treatment Options

December 17, 2021August 25, 2025 Michael Gwarisa

THE Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as gonococcus, the bacteria that causes Gonorrhea, a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), has since developed resistance to available treatment options in Zimbabwe, raising fears of long term health complications in both men and women such as infertility, still births, a top STIs expert and venereologist has said By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has over the years been using antibiotics such as Penicillin, Tetracilicin, and Quinolones to treat Gonorrhea but the situation has changed at the back of growing drug resistant strains, leaving the country with only…

World Bank Donates ICU Equipment To The Ministry Of Health

December 16, 2021 Michael Gwarisa

THE World Bank (WB) has handed over a consignment of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) to enhance the healthcare sector’s emergency response capacity. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking on behalf of the World Bank Zimbabwe Country Manager, World Bank Health Specialist , Chenjerai Sisimayi said, “I am very pleased to be joining you today on this important occasion as we handover COVID-19 critical care equipment to the Ministry of Health and Child Care as part of support from the Health Sector Development…

Two Former African Heads of State Join AWF Global Board of Trustees

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 Michael Gwarisa

THE African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has onboarded two former African heads of state, H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, former President of Niger and H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, former Ethiopian Prime Minister to the organization’s global board of trustees to share their diverse and unique African leadership perspectives as AWF implements its ambitious 10-year strategy. Own Correspondent The two eminent leaders join the wide array of international experts and thought leaders on the AWF board, including other former African heads of state: H. E. Festus Mogae of Botswana, the late H. E. Benjamin…

Major Boost For Zimbabwe’s AMR Fight

December 15, 2021December 15, 2021 Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE has secured two flagship grants namely the Fleming Fund and Multi-Partner Trust Fund Grants to strengthen capacity through strengthening Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) detection and surveillance in the country. By Michael Gwarisa The two grants are being financed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands governments. The UK is financing the Fleming Fund grant which is worth over US$5 Million and is being implemented and led by the Food Agricultural Organization (FAO). Officiating at the launch of the two grants which also coincided with the commissioning of the National Microbiology…