Category: BREAKING NEWS

Buses Bringing Zimbabweans From SA Should Get Clearance From Zim Consulate First- Cabinet

Michael Gwarisa

BUS operators involved in repatriation of Zimbabwean nationals from South Africa are now required to obtain clearance from the Zimbabwean consulate in Cape Town and Johannesburg two days before departure. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing Journalists during a post cabinet media briefing, Information and broadcasting services minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said, “In order to enable the smooth flow of returnees at the Beitbridge Border Post, the Embassy of Zimbabwe in South Africa has drawn up Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). All bus operators involved in the repatriation of Zimbabwean nationals from South…

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UNAIDS Donates Hygiene Kits To People Living With HIV

Healthtimes
ZNNP+ Receives donation from UNAIDS

THE United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)together with Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (RB) have donated 10 000 hygiene kits to people living with HIV(PLWHIV) to protect and safeguard people living with HIV from the Corona virus. The donation has been made through the Zimbabwe National Network of PLWHIV (ZNNP+). By Patricia Mashiri This donation comes after the realisation that basic hygiene kits form part of the essential commodities necessary in the prevention and fight against COVID-19 and other ailments especially now that the country has relaxed lockdown regulations. Identified 10,000…

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Relying On Donor Funding Threatens UHC Attainment in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

COMMUNITY Working Group on Health (CWGH) Executive Director, Mr. Itai Rusike says the current scenario whereby the health sector is heavily reliant on donor funding was unsustainable. By Michael Gwarisa Addressing media training of Health Budgeting reporting, Mr Rusike said the country’s vision of attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was hanging by a thread owing to poor funding towards the healthcare sector and should donors one day pull the plug, Zimbabwe could be found in an even worse health situation. When the Global Fund is no longer able to fund…

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Bimonthly Injectable PrEP More Effective Than Daily Oral PrEP- New Study

Healthtimes

BIOMONTHLY injectable Pre Exposure Profilaxes (PrEP) has been found to be more effective than daily oral PrEP in preventing HIV acquisition among cisgender women, according to newly released interim results from the landmark HPTN 084 study. According to the study, cabotegravir was 89% more effective than daily oral FTC/TDF for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The early study unblinding for superior efficacy in this prevention trial in women follows results reported earlier this year from a companion study (HPTN 083) that also established long-acting cabotegravir’s superiority to daily oral PrEP in preventing…

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Doctors Without Border (MSF) Challenges COVID-19 Myths With New Quiz Challenge App

Michael Gwarisa

A new app that encourages people to behave safely if someone in their family or community catches COVID-19 has been launched by international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in association with software developer Pixel Impact. HealthTimes Taking the form of an interactive quiz challenge, users of the COVID Challenge app are presented with a range of colourfully illustrated scenarios and given a choice of ways to respond. The topics covered are practical and wide-ranging, including how to interact with someone with COVID symptoms, how to share a…

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Zimbabwe Opens School Classes Despite Increase in New COVID-19 Infections

Healthtimes

ZIMBABWE today, November 9, 2020 resumes all school classes from Early Childhood Development (ECD) up to Advanced level in line with government set schedule. HealthTimes Brief The resumption of classes however comes at a time Zimbabwe is recording increased cases of COVID-19 with majority of them being local transmissions. According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) daily COVID-19 update of November, 8, 2020, recovery rate has dropped from a high of 95% in the past few weeks to 93%, with daily infection rate rising to 5.6% 33…

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WHO Director Pins Hope On Biden Presidency To Restore Relations With The US

Michael Gwarisa

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreysus believes the United States of America (USA) President-Elect, Joe Biden’s election into office could restore relations between the health organization and the US government which soured in April, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. By Michael Gwarisa Through his official twitter account, Dr Tedros said he was looking forward to working with the newly elected leaders. Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. My WHO colleagues and I look forward to working with you and your…

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Bad Politics, Corruption and Decaying Sanitation Standards Could Hinder Zimbabwe’s Fight To End Neglected Tropical Diseases-Report

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE’s goal of eliminating and reducing its rates of both schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) by the year 2030 could be jeopardised by the country’s toxic political environment, decaying water and sanitation standards and decreased access to basic hygiene. By Michael Gwarisa This was revealed in a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU)  which is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper through sponsorship from The End Fund. The report is titled Breaking The Cycle Of Neglect: Reducing The…

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Health Ministry Receives Essential NCDs Management Equipment From WHO

Michael Gwarisa

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has received a consignment of essential Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) medications and sundries from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in move set to intensify the fight against the increasing NCDs burden in the country. By Michael Gwarisa The donation of essential NCDs equipment also comes at a time the ministry of health and WHO are working on a new WHO NCD Risk Factor Survey. The last survey was done in 2005 which showed that the prevalence of hypertension in Zimbabwe was around 27%,…

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Bulawayo and Harare health care workers gain new skills on management of stress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic

Healthtimes

Mazowe, Zimbabwe – “l really needed this training, as nurses we have just gone through a lot of emotional trauma during this COVID19 pandemic, including experiencing stigma from our colleagues as well as the community,” says Blessing Munjere, Sister in Charge at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. WHO Communication Department In response to the plight of stressed health care workers on the frontline of Covid19 like Blessing, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Mental Health (MH) Services Department with support from WHO has trained 84 health workers on MH…

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