Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

Free Body Scan or Free Body Scam? Health experts warn against unscrupulous herbal merchants offering Free Body Scan services

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Could it be another version of E-Creator or any of those Ponzi schemes that have hogged the headlines in the past? Zimbabwe is witnessing a surge in Multi-level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing companies offering “Free Body Scan” services to convince unsuspecting and desperate health-seeking citizens to buy their herbal products. The collapse of the healthcare sector over the years largely characterised by massive skills flight, shortage of commodities and poor working and living standards for healthcare workers, has left citizens with no option but to seek…

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5 Unexpected Ways to Fall Asleep Quickly and Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Michael Gwarisa

5 Unexpected Ways to Fall Asleep Quickly and Get a Good Night’s Sleep If all the imaginary sheep have already been counted and it’s still unclear how to fall asleep quickly at night, you can use unusual methods. Here are five of them. Darken the Room The room should be dark. This is the main condition for the production of the “sleep hormone,” melatonin. If you’re suffering from insomnia, you can: Tightly shade the windows. Turn off all lights, including gadgets and nightlights. Wear a sleep mask. In this case,…

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#JUSTIN: Zimbabwe Ready To Respond To Mpox

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Following detection of a deadly Mpox variant in several countries in the African region, Zimbabwe has enhanced its diseases surveillance systems at all entry points in a bid to effectively respond to the disease, Public Health Advisor to the President, Dr Agnes Mahomva has said. Even though Zimbabwe is yet to record an Mpox case, the virus has been detected in more than 10 African countries namley the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Uganda,  Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and South Africa. Sequencing of…

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In Zimbabwe, a Mobile App “One Impact” Has Enhanced Human Rights Outcomes for Persons with TB

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa As a young person who has survived Tuberculosis (TB), Munyaradzi Saruchera (27) from Dzivarasekwa in Harare now wants to make an impact in Zimbabwe’s TB response. He volunteers as a TB champion under the Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe. His roles encompass getting feedback from the TB community regarding access to services, monitoring TB patients, and following them up to check if they adhere to medications. He also monitors the availability of TB services and commodities such as TB medicines, and screening services. However, collecting data and feedback…

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#BREAKING: WHO Hints On Declaring Mpox Public Health Emergency Of International Concern

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned of a more deadly and highly infectious Mpox strain spreading across Africa and other parts of the world. This follows revelations that the mpox outbreak that has been raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past several months might have spilled beyond the DRC borders. A report by science publication www.science.org shows that sequencing of the mpox viruses in three cases reported earlier this week in Uganda and Kenya has now confirmed…

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#BREAKING: UN Appeals For US$429 Million To Rescue Starving Zimbabweans

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa An estimated 7.6 million Zimbabweans are facing acute hunger and in need of food aid, the United Nations Zimbabwe office has warned. More than half of the harvest has been destroyed because of a historic drought induced by the 2023-2024 warming El Niño episode and the United Nations officials have since called for international support to help Zimbabwe address the humanitarian impacts of El Niño. The UN in Zimbabwe has since called for financial assistance amounting to US$429 Million to assist at least 3.1 million people this…

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MSF welcomes the end of cholera in Zimbabwe, but calls for a holistic approach to fight future outbreaks

Michael Gwarisa

Zimbabwe has officially declared the end of a cholera outbreak after nearly one and half years of battling with the second-biggest outbreak in its history. The declaration follows 30 days of no cholera cases in the country. This declaration by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), is a significant and welcome development, considering that it has been more than a year’s fight to contain cholera in the country and a lot of effort went into this fight. While this is a positive development and a big win for…

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Namibian Doctor Develops Groundbreaking Digital Health Solution For Africa

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Doctor Esperance Luvindao, a Namibian Medical Doctor,  in partnership with OSAAT Africa Health Foundation and MENGA Healthcare Technology have unveiled MENGA, a digital health solution that will address health access related barriers across the African region. Invented by Dr. Luvindao, the plat form  will assist patients throughout African Semi-Rural Areas and suburbs to gain access to prescribed medication without having to travel long distances or acquire out of pocket health costs through the conventional methods of consultation and medication acquisition. Speaking to HealthTimes following the launch, Dr…

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Zimbabwe Needs To Revive Abstinence Message In HIV Programming

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa While Zimbabwe has made significant strides in addressing the HIV burden, there is a need for renewed messaging regarding HIV prevention to sustain the gains realised, health experts have said. Zimbabwe is among the few African countries that have attained the UNIADS 95-9-95 targets in adults. Over the past four years, there has been a decline in HIV prevalence from approximately 12% in 2020 to 11.58% in 2023. However, emerging new challenges such as depressed domestic and international funding for HIV prevention programs such as condoms, poor…

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Collaboration In Workplace Mental Health Leads To A Healthier Workforce

Michael Gwarisa

By Abigail T.S. Mudokwani The World Health Organisation (WHO), estimates that depression and anxiety cause twelve billion lost working days annually, and that the diminished productivity caused by these two mental health issues alone costs the world economy $1 trillion (USD) annually. As a result, there is an increasing need for creating psychologically safe work environments. As employers deepen their focus on mental health, a debate has inadvertently been sparked on who between the employer and the employee is responsible for workplace mental health. One school of thinking holds that…

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