Author: Michael Gwarisa

Editor for HealthTimes, Zimbabwe's leading online health news publication

#JUSTIN: Zimbabwe Citizens To Access COVID-19 Vaccine Free of Charge Says VP Chiwenga

Michael Gwarisa

VICE President Constantino Chiwenga has cleared air on the modalities surrounding the rollout and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine which he says will be free of charge for every citizen. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing a World Cancer Day virtual meeting this morning, VP Chiwenga who is also the health and child care minister said, the vaccine was for everyone who wishes to be vaccinated and it was free of charge. His remarks come hot on the heels of a statement by the Finance and Economic Development minister, Prof Mthuli Ncube…

Read More

Local NGO Sets Up Breastfeeding Room At Parliament

Michael Gwarisa

IN a move that is likely to bring convenience to breastfeeding female legislators and parliament employees as well as boost nutritional needs for babies, the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) is in the process of finalizing the setting up of a lactation room inside the Zimbabwe Parliament premises. By Michael Gwarisa According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a child should be exclusively breastfed for six months and the first 1000 days of an infant are most crucial in the brain development and general development of…

Read More

Merck hosts first “Bilharzia Storytelling Lab” to support elimination efforts in Kenya

Michael Gwarisa

Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced that it hosts its first Bilharzia Storytelling Lab in Kenya. The lab is a three-day workshop bringing together 30 Kenyan community leaders and storytellers. The participants are working on the task to develop new innovative ways of storytelling to empower and inform risk groups on prevention and/or treatment of bilharzia. More than 240 million people worldwide require treatment for the neglected tropical disease (NTD) bilharzia (also known as schistosomiasis or snail fever), and it is estimated that 200,000 people die from the…

Read More

Covid-19 Deaths and New Cases declines across Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

FOLLOWING a spike in new Covid-19 deaths and cases that were recorded in January, there seems to be a ray of hope for Zimbabwe as the number fatalities and new cases have been declining since the last week of January to date. By Michael Gwarisa According to Health and Child Care Minister, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the decline can be attributed to the strict lockdown regulation that government put in place on January 5, 2020 which saw the country returning to level four. The level 4 National Lockdown that came…

Read More

#JUSTIN: Lockdown Extended By Another Two Weeks

Michael Gwarisa

ACTING President, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has announced an extension to the country’s lockdown which was supposed to end on February 5 by another two weeks in a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus. By Michael Gwarisa He said the move has been necessitated by the presence of new strains to the virus which spread faster and are more lethal than the first strain which was recorded in Wuhan, China. The level 4 lockdown that came into force on January 5, 2020 has stabilized our situation. In relative…

Read More

Hepatitis C Diagnostics and Treatment Boost For Low & Middle-Income Countries

Michael Gwarisa

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted progress in accelerating access to hepatitis C diagnostics and treatment in low- and middle-income countries at the back of reduced cost for treatment and improved diagnostics systems. By Staff Reporter Many low- and middle-income countries have reduced suffering from hepatitis C owing  to increased access to testing and treatment. According to WHO, some achieved a 20-fold increase in the number of people treated with safe and effective direct-acting retroviral drugs between 2015 and 2018, according to the Global progress report on accelerating access…

Read More

#BREAKING: Zimbabwe Government Allows Importation & Investigation Of Human Formulation “IVERMECTIN” To Treat COVID-19

Michael Gwarisa

MINISTRY of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) acting Permanent Secretary, Dr Robert Mudyiradima has written to the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) giving pharmaceutical companies the green light to import Ivermectin, Nano Silver and  other alternative medications for investigations for possible treatment of COVID-19. By Michael Gwarisa In a communique to Mr Richard Rukwata the MCAZ Acting Director, Dr Mudyiradima said the green light had been granted to allow importation of the medicines and use of the drugs will be permitted under strict supervision and guidance. In these difficult…

Read More

WHO recommends the dapivirine vaginal ring as a new choice for HIV prevention for women at substantial risk of HIV infection

Michael Gwarisa

WHO today recommended that the dapivirine vaginal ring (DPV-VR) may be offered as an additional prevention choice for women at substantial risk[1] of HIV infection as part of combination prevention approaches. The DPV-VR is a female-initiated option to reduce the risk of HIV infection. To properly use the ring, it must be worn inside the vagina for a period of 28 days, after which it should be replaced by a new ring. The ring is made of silicone and is easy to bend and insert. The ring works by releasing…

Read More

COVID-19 Won’t Affect Vaginal Ring Rollout In Zimbabwe- Dr Mgodi

Michael Gwarisa

THE prevailing COVID-19 pandemic will not affect rollout of the Dapivirine ring or Vaginal ring, an HIV prevention ring for women,  HIV expert and histopathologist who was also the Dapirivirine ring study chairperson in Africa, Dr Nyaradzo Mgodi has said. By Michael Gwarisa Dr Mugodi’s comments come at the back of indications that COVID-19 could have disrupted access to healthcare services and rollout of certain programs across the globe over the past 12 months. In an interview with HealthTimes, Dr Mgodi said the ring has already received its pre-qualification from…

Read More

Coronavirus Mutation Causing High False Negative Results In Zim-Lancet

Michael Gwarisa

NEW Coronavirus strains being reported worldwide could be the reason why most Laboratories in Zimbabwe have been recording high cases of false negative COVID-19 results of late, a top pathologist has said. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking during a virtual press briefing, Lancet Laboratories Chief Executive Officer, Dr Charlse Muronda said the viruses have changed their genetic makeup , in the process making it difficult for other  organisations which have not upgraded their testing equipment to pick the virus during testing procedures. One of the things that have happened with COVID-19…

Read More