Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

More 10 Year Old Pregnant Girls Test Positive For HIV In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

More pregnant young adolescent girls aged 10 and above, are testing positive for HIV upon booking at the Antenatal Clinic (ANC), findings from a new National Assessment on Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe have shown. By Michael Gwarisa The study was conducted by the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), UNICEF, UNESCO and UNFPA as the lead  agency for youth and adolescents. According to the report, an estimated 1,706,946 ANC bookings were made in 1,560 health…

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Getting Tough On Vaping Drives People Into Smoking Combustible Tobacco

Michael Gwarisa

Despite the massive crackdown on smoking in the form of bans and taxes, coupled with well-coordinated misinformation around emerging Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) alternatives, World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows that at least 8 million smokers continue to die from smoking-related diseases on an annual basis while one million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke also die from passive smoking. By Michael Gwarisa Overall smoking rates in Africa remain low by international comparisons, with a prevalence of 8.4 percent across the continent. While smoking prevalence is relatively low on…

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Murehwa Hospital Installs Medical Oxygen Reticulation System

Michael Gwarisa

In a bid to improve timely access to medical oxygen for patients in need of critical care, Murehwa District Hospital has installed a piped Oxygen reticulation system in most of its wards at the facility. By Michael Gwarisa The installation replaces the old system of Oxygen Supply where they would procure Oxygen using Oxygen tanks, store the Oxygen at the facility, and in times of need, they would deliver or distribute it in the wards using Oxygen stands. Dr Joseph Taruona, the District Medical Officer (DMO) for Murehwa said the…

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Zimbabwe Establishes E-Learning Platform For Midwifery Training

Michael Gwarisa

In a bid to strengthen the provision of reproductive health services in hard-to-reach areas and during emergencies, the United Nations Population Fund in Zimbabwe (UNFPA-Zimbabwe) is supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) to develop an E-Learning platform for pre-service and in-service midwifery training. By Michael Gwarisa The system was developed in 2022 as part of efforts to scale up digital innovations to facilitate capacity building and delivery of quality service through support from the Health Development Fund (HDF). According to the UNFPA Zimbabwe 2022 Annual Report, there…

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Zimbabwe Launches Accountability Report Of TB-Affected Communities & Civil Society

Michael Gwarisa

AS the world prepares to converge at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis (TB), Zimbabwe has launched the Accountability Report Of TB-Affected Communities & Civil Society: which prioritizes closing the Deadly Divide. By Michael Gwarisa in Chinhoyi The United Nations General Assembly will hold the second high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis on 22 September 2023 under the theme “Advancing science, finance and innovation, and their benefits, to urgently end the global tuberculosis epidemic, in particular, by ensuring equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment and care.” Speaking at…

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The END Fund appoints Tsitsi Masiyiwa as Board Chair

Michael Gwarisa

Tsitsi Masiyiwa will advocate for strong African political leadership against NTDs and prioritize resource mobilization that supports sustainability. The appointment marks a pivotal moment calling for African leadership to eliminate NTDs which impact over 600 million people on the continent and cause deaths of more than 170,000 people annually. The END Fund, a leading collaborative philanthropic fund dedicated to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), today announced the appointment of Tsitsi Masiyiwa as Board Chair. She succeeds William (Bill) Campbell, appointed in 2012 as inaugural Board Chair by the organization’s founders,…

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Tavern Of Life: Concession Pub Transforms Into Vibrant Clinic

Michael Gwarisa

For decades, Dandamira bar in Ward 15, Concession, Mazowe District, had served wise waters to thirsty revellers from within the community and passers-by. Pleasure managers and those who grew up in the area during the Tavern’s heyday confess that the pub would even eclipse some morden urban joints. By Michael Gwarisa Despite the flowery history the building holds, its clients from Dandamira and other surrounding wards were struggling to access basic healthcare services. For several years, people from the community would walk or travel 7 Kilometres to Concession District Hospital…

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Mahumunya/ Mumps Outbreak Hits Harare

Michael Gwarisa

An infectious disease, Mumps or Maumunya, has been recorded in Harare, Zimbabwe, raising fears that the disease could spread rapidly in children. By Staff Reporter The alert was raised by the Harare City Health Department Director, Dr. Prosper Chonzi who indicated in a statement that cases have already been recorded in health centres and community schools. We, therefore, request through your wider network to communicate with parents and guardians referencing this letter to mobilise them to bring forward all children and adults who got infected with Mumps to visit their…

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Africa Needs to Strengthen Disease Surveillance and Innovation to Address Re-emerging Infectious Diseases- Dr Nyirenda

Michael Gwarisa

The world is slowly recovering from the ravaging effects of COVID-19 which lasted close to three years before the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it was no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). According to WHO data, globally, as of 2 August 2023, an estimated 6,953,743 COVID-19 deaths and 768,983,095 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported to WHO. By Michael Gwarisa While the risk of COVID-19 has subsided, and the rest of the world seems to be moving forward, Africa is experiencing a new wave…

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Zimbabwe Pilots Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Prompt Bilharzia Testing and Case Identification At Point of Care

Michael Gwarisa

Professor Qin Zhiqing, an Associate Professor at the China National Institute of Parasitic Diseases (NIPR) has been in Zimbabwe for the past two months and together with a team from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), a department in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), they have been conducting a Schistosomiasis pilot study in Shamva District. By Michael Gwarisa As part of their study, they are also assessing the use of Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT) to detect and identify Schistosomiasis Cases in communities. At a laboratory site…

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