Category: AFRICA

Securing a Healthier Future: Global Leaders Target Malaria and Maternal & Child Health at UNGA80

Michael Gwarisa

New York, 24 September 2025 — On the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), world leaders and heads of state convened for a landmark event titled “Uniting for Global Health Security.” The gathering was jointly hosted by the Global Leaders Network (GLN) for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (WCAH) and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA). The meeting came at a time when overlapping global crises are testing fragile health systems. From conflict and displacement to climate emergencies and economic shocks, resources are being diverted away from…

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Africa CDC to boost NCD Surveillance across 10 countries in East and Southern Africa

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has partnered with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a Danish enterprise Foundation, to strengthening public health workforce capacity for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) surveillance across ten African Union (AU) Member States. The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a grant of USD 2.65m towards the initiative, and the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF) will act as fund manager for the grant. The two-year initiative (June 2025–May 2027) aims to develop a scalable training program with a plan to expand across…

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SC Johnson Wins WHO Backing for New Tool to Prevent Malaria and Other Insect-Borne Diseases

Michael Gwarisa
SC Johnson Guardian™

By Staff Reporter  NAIROBI, KENYA, August 15, 2025 – Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a policy recommendation for spatial repellents to be used as an innovative tool to help fight insect-borne diseases like malaria. SC Johnson, maker of household brands such as OFF!®, Baygon® and Raid® and leaders in insect science, has been working towards this achievement for more than a decade and has already been distributing millions of its own company-developed and manufactured spatial repellents – SC Johnson Guardian™ and SC Johnson Mosquito Shield™ – to communities…

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Zimbabwe Among 14 African Nations Facing Alarming Rise in Drug-Resistant Infections

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Results from a newly published study highlight the growing spread of drug resistance across 14 African countries, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen laboratory testing, data systems, and health planning to tackle hard-to-treat infections. The study, known as the Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP), is the largest of its kind ever conducted in Africa. It was led by a coalition including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), One Health Trust, and other regional partners.…

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Children in Sudan face growing danger as cholera spreads amid funding cuts, World Vision warns

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  As Sudan battles a deadly and rapidly spreading cholera outbreak, millions of children are at grave risk. More than 700 people have died, including children, and 32,000 suspected cases have been  recorded since January 2025. The outbreak now affects 17 of the country’s 18 states, compounding the suffering of families already devastated by conflict, forced displacements, and a collapsing health system. Among the most vulnerable are 3.2 million malnourished children under the age of five, whose weakened immune systems leave them susceptible to cholera and other waterborne diseases. The…

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Global Polio Eradication Efforts Face New Challenge with Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus

Michael Gwarisa
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By Michael Gwarisa Even though the world has made remarkable progress in the fight against polio, with wild poliovirus now circulating in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, a new challenge has emerged: vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), which is causing outbreaks in previously polio-free regions. The development underscores the urgent need for robust immunization programmes and global cooperation to achieve the goal of complete polio eradication by 2023, as outlined in the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030). The Polio Eradication Journey Polio, a debilitating and potentially fatal disease, has been targeted for…

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Civil War Worsens Cholera Crisis in Sudan, Warns Africa CDC

Michael Gwarisa
https://staging11.atomistic.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/qtwruk35.png

By Michael Gwarisa Efforts to curb cholera outbreaks across Africa are facing severe challenges, with Sudan’s ongoing civil war exacerbating an already dire situation. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continent remains the epicenter of the global cholera burden, with Sudan standing out due to the devastating impact of conflict on public health infrastructure. As of July 10, 2025, Africa has recorded 182,506 cholera cases and 3,697 deaths across 21 member states, according to official data released during Africa CDC’s weekly media briefing.…

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Egyptian Students Launch Africa’s First “Health Diplomacy” Program for Future Doctors

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Cairo has become the stage for a groundbreaking initiative with the launch of the “Health Diplomacy for Medical Students” program, the first of its kind in Egypt and across the African continent. Spearheaded by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations – Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt) and its branch at MTI University, the program is supported by the Scientific Association of Medical Students at the Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI) and enjoys media sponsorship from the AfroMedia Initiative for Journalism and Media. Held at the Faculty of…

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Africa CDC Launches Continental Strategy to Combat Zoonotic Diseases

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Africa is stepping up its fight against zoonotic diseases with a bold new continental strategy that aims to transform how countries prevent, detect, and respond to health threats shared between humans, animals, and the environment. The Zoonotic Disease Prevention and Control Strategy 2025–2029, launched by the African Union (AU) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), marks a turning point in the continent’s public health journey. Zoonotic diseases, those transmitted between animals and humans, have become a persistent and growing threat. From Ebola…

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Malawi Launches Second Edition of Pathogen Genomic Surveillance Strategy and Implementation Plan

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter The Malawi Ministry of Health, launched its updated plan for the implementation of its Genomic Surveillance Strategy that was produced with technical support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) on 3 July. As pathogen genomics provides a powerful approach towards the investigation, management, and surveillance of infectious diseases, the plan is geared to include integration of multi-pathogen genomic surveillance into existing public health systems, research and development. The second version of the plan is aligned to Africa…

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