Category: BREAKING NEWS

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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Uproar Over Delayed Visas To AIDS Conference In Canada

Healthtimes

HIV and AIDS activists and advocates  have raised a red flag over the delayed granting of Visas to AIDS Activists, speakers, public health experts and advocates by the Canadian government ahead of International AIDS Confrence to be held in Canada from 29 July to 2 August 2022. By Staff Reporter The delays have been described as horrendous and unacceptable and will likely see key speakers and stakeholders failing to attend. UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Banyima said, “We appeal to the government of Canada to grant Visas expeditiously to experts, activists…

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We are ready to step aside says PSMAS board

Healthtimes

THE battle to control the country’s biggest medical aid society, PSMAS, has reached a crescendo, with indications that all parties involved in this battle for supremacy are digging in. HealthTimes Reporter The ongoing battle involves leaders of the Public Service Association (PSA), and the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Unions (ZCPSTU), the defunct PSMAS board, PSMAS and the government through the Public Service Commission (PSC). Insiders from within PSMAS have since blamed members from the old board members and union leaders for trying to derail the ongoing Forensic Audit by…

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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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Zim ready for long term injectable PrEP-MoHCC

Healthtimes

IN a bid to increase adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) said it welcomes obtaining studies to advance prevention therapy through long term injectable Pre-Exposure prophylaxes medications. By Staff Reporter This follows the approval of Apretude (cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension) in 2021 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This will be taken in at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilograms (77 pounds) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV. However, in Zimbabwe, current…

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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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