Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

Zim Health Journalists Accomplish Public Health Course

Michael Gwarisa

THE first cohort of Zimbabwean health Journalists have successfully attained certificates in Public Health and Health Communication with one of the country’s leading Public Health training institutions, the Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH). By Michael Gwarisa A total 14 Health Journalists from different media houses, who are also members of the Health Communicators Forum in Zimbabwe (HCF) enrolled for the one week long course and covered an array of modules. Some of the courses covered include,  Introduction to Epidemiology, Health Financing, Health Systems, Human Resources, Primary Health Care Policies…

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Africa Records 63% Jump In Zoonotic Diseases

Michael Gwarisa

Diseases transmitted from animals to people in Africa have jumped 63 per cent in last decade, compared with the previous ten year period, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis released on Thursday. By Staff Reporter A zoonotic disease is an infectious disease that is transmitted between species from animals to humans (or from humans to animals). According to the WHO analysis, since 2001, 1,843 substantiated public health events were recorded in the African region – 30 percent of which were zoonotic outbreaks. While the numbers have increased over…

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Zimbabwe To Host 23rd International Congress On STIs

Michael Gwarisa

THE 23rd edition of the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI), will be held in Zimbabwe  from September 4 t0 September 7, 2022, in the resort town of Victoria Falls.   By Michael Gwarisa The Congress will run under the theme, “Confronting Inequities in STI Prevention, Diagnostics and Care,” and will be graced by  various speakers from across the world. In an interview with HealthTimes, Charlene Thlabane Project Manager for the 23rd IUSTI congress said they expect not less than 300 attendees at the 23r IUSTI congress. We expect that…

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WHO’s Science Council launches report calling for equitable expansion of genomics

Michael Gwarisa

WHO’s Science Council of experts has issued its first report, on accelerating access to genomics for global health. The report argues that it is not justifiable ethically or scientifically for less-resourced countries to gain access to such technologies long after rich countries do. The field of genomics uses methods from biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology to understand and use biological information in DNA and RNA, with benefits for medicine and public health – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as agriculture, biological research and more. The report calls…

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Urgent call for better use of existing vaccines and development of new vaccines to tackle AMR

Michael Gwarisa

The World Health Organization today released the first-ever report on the pipeline of the vaccines currently in development to prevent infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacterial pathogens. WHO’s analysis points to the need to accelerate trials for AMR related vaccines in late-stage development and maximise the use of existing vaccines. Own Correspondent The silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance is of major growing public health concern. Resistant bacterial infections alone are associated with nearly 4.95 million deaths per year, with 1.27 million deaths directly attributed to AMR.  But AMR is about…

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30 Percent Zim Youths Hooked On Crystal Meth

Michael Gwarisa

CRYSTAL Meth use has increased in Zimbabwe amidst indications of a sharp increase in bed occupancy in mental health institutions due to high use of illicit drugs and substances. By Michael Gwarisa It is estimated that the proportion of young people in Zimbabwe between 16 and 35 could have or are using illicit substances. There is also an increase in the number of admissions in mental health institutions due to illicit substance use. Wilson Box, the Chief Executive Officer for Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (ZCLDN) told editors at…

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One In Every Five People Is Living With HIV In Mat South

Michael Gwarisa

MATABELELAND South (Mat South) has an HIV prevalence of 20%, a figure higher than the national prevalence which currently stands at 11.6%, making it the provinces with highest number of people living with HIV in the country. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has a total 1.3 million people living with HIV and basing on the national HIV and AIDS prevalence percentage of 11.6%, this translates to one in every nine people living with HIV across the country. Giving an epidemic update, National AIDS Council (NAC) Monitoring and Evaluation National Coordinator, Mr…

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Don’t Let The HIV Story Die, Gvt Tells Journalists

Michael Gwarisa

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) says even though Zimbabwe is moving closer to epidemic control, more still needs to be done in terms of amplifying the message of HIV prevention, treatment and control. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is one of the countries most affected by HIV and the pandemic has had a reversal effect on the socio-economic progress that our country achieved over the years. Officiating at the National AIDS Council Editors and Station Managers Workshop in Mazowe on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Child…

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Parliament Wants Presidential Amnesty For All Wilful Transmission Of HIV Prisoners

Michael Gwarisa

THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health chairperson, Dr Ruth Labode says they have already lobbied President Emerson Mnangwa through the Speaker of Parliament seeking amnesty for everyone who was imprisoned on the grounds of wilful transmission of HIV. By Michael Gwarisa in Mazowe The development follows Parliament of Zimbabwe’s recent repealing of section 79 of the Criminal Law Code, which criminalized wilful HIV transmission. According to the National Aids Council (NAC), Zimbabwe currently has the highest rate of HIV criminalization prosecutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and the sixth highest in the…

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More funding needed for the child protection sector in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

At a High-Level Policy Dialogue event, key stakeholders in child protection agreed that more needs to be done to address the many protection issues children face   The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, UNICEF and the Zimbabwe Economics Society today convened a High-Level Policy Dialogue on Child Protection Financing in Zimbabwe. The Dialogue is part of the Child Budgeting Series initiated by UNICEF and Zimbabwe Economics Society (ZES) in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe. The meeting today comes at a pivotal moment as many children face…

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