Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

#BREAKING: Mutumwa Paul Mwazha Dies

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Renowned evangelist and leader of the African Apostolic Church (AAC), Archbishop Paul Mwazha, has died at the age of 107. The Church confirmed his passing through its social media platforms. Archbishop Mwazha played a key role in establishing the AAC, a charismatic movement that has drawn followers from around the world. Born in Chirimhanzu District on October 25, 1918, Archbishop Mwazha founded the African Apostolic Church in 1959. The Church says his death is a great loss and prayed for comfort for the entire African community. Mourners…

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Women Who Remove Ribs For Cosmetic Purposes Have a High Risk Of Lung Malfunction

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In pursuit of the figure 8 or hourglass shape, women, especially social media influencers across the world, are increasingly undergoing procedures to remove the floating ribs, also known as the 11th and 12th ribs. The trend is widely discussed online and is often linked to dramatic overnight transformations. In Zimbabwe, although nothing has been proven, names such as Madam Boss and Luminitsa have previously circulated on social media debates, with some users speculating that certain influencers may have experimented with extreme body modification trends. These conversations highlight…

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High Demand Pushes America to Increase Lenacapavir Supply as Eswatini Gets First Shipment

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Kingdom of Eswatini has received its first shipment of the lifesaving HIV prevention drug Lenacapavir, a few months after becoming one of the few  African countries earmarked for the rollout to take delivery. The twice-a-year injectable drug will be introduced under the America First Global Health Strategy, which guides the United States’ global health programming across the continent. Launched in September, the America First Global Health Strategy aims to shift the United States’ global health efforts toward strengthening African health systems and building market-driven partnerships. Under…

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Young Zimbabwean Selected as United Nations Young Leader

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter The United Nations has selected 26-year-old Tanatswa Amanda Chikura as a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The announcement was made on United Nations Day on 24 October, which marks the date when the United Nations officially came into being. Tanatswa, who is a Hughes Hall PhD candidate, is also the Founder and Director of the Ndinewe Foundation, a mental health organisation in Zimbabwe. In an article published by Hughes Hall University, Tanatswa said: “Young people are everywhere and sometimes it takes a fellow youth…

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Zimbabwe Records Major Gains in Fight Against TB, Global Report Shows

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Data from the 2025 Global Tuberculosis Report shows that Zimbabwe has made steady progress towards ending TB as a public health threat. According to the report, Zimbabwe’s TB incidence declined to 203 per 100,000, a 3.8 percent reduction from 2023 among other milestones. Commenting on the 2025 findings, Dr Fungayi Kavenga, the Ministry of Health and Child Care Director for TB services, welcomed the gains but warned that the battle to end the disease was still ongoing. Zimbabwe is making steady progress towards ending TB. The Global…

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#BREAKING: Ethiopia Declares Marburg Virus Outbreak

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Health officials who were initially skeptical about the cause of a suspected haemorrhagic fever reported in Jinka, Southern Region of Ethiopia, have now confirmed that the disease is the Marburg virus. Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a severe and often fatal illness in humans. The average case fatality rate is around 50 percent, although previous outbreaks have recorded rates ranging from 24 to 88 percent. In a statement, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the Federal…

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Global Leaders Urge Governments to Treat Care Work as Core Economic Infrastructure

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa  Global health leaders have called for governments to recognise care work as essential economic infrastructure, arguing that investing in women-led care solutions is critical to strengthening health systems and driving economic growth. The call was made during a high level side event recently hosted by Pathfinder International and convened in partnership with Women in Global Health (WGH) at the World Summit for Social Development. The meeting, titled Investing in Women-Led Solutions for Social Development, brought together senior government officials, researchers and civil society leaders who warned that…

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How a Community Seed Bank is Helping Binga Villagers Beat Drought

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Binga Just like most parts of the country, Binga villages are preparing their land for the forthcoming 2025/26 agricultural season. The clanging of hoes against dry earth echoes across the fields as farmers race the sun to prepare their land. At one homestead, Vivian Saba greets us with a warm smile, accompanied by her mother. Vivian volunteers as treasurer of the community seed bank, an innovative seed preservation facility designed to ensure farmers have access the best-suited seeds for their environment. A few minutes later, she…

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Malaria Stalks Zimbabwe’s Children as Deaths Jump 50% in One Week

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has reported a rise in malaria deaths and new infections among children under five in areas endemic to the disease. New cases have been recorded since the onset of the rainy season two weeks ago. According to the MoHCC disease surveillance report for the week ending November 2, 2025, a total of 1,074 malaria cases and three deaths were reported. The deaths occurred in Makoni and Chimanimani districts in Manicaland Province, and Mount Darwin District in Mashonaland Central. Of…

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Vilon Peptide: A Minimalist Bioregulator with Expansive Potential

Michael Gwarisa

Vilon, a synthetic dipeptide composed of lysine and glutamic acid (Lys-Glu), has emerged as a molecule of growing interest in the field of bioregulatory peptide research. Despite its minimal structure, Vilon is theorized to exert a wide range of biological supports, particularly in the domains of immunomodulation, gene expression regulation, and cellular aging. Originally developed by researchers at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, Vilon belongs to a class of short peptides that are hypothesized to interact with chromatin and support gene transcription. Its simplicity, coupled with its…

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