Category: BREAKING NEWS

ZACH Rallies Media to Amplify Voices of Adolescents Girls and women at risk of GBV

Healthtimes

NEW HIV infections being recorded in Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Zimbabwe could be linked to harmful practices such as Gender Based Violence (GBV), Child Marriages and sexual abuse obtaining in the country, the Zimbabwe Association of Church related Hospitals (ZACH) has warned. By Michael Gwarisa UNAIDS data shows that  Adolescent Girls and Young Women from sub-Saharan Africa, aged 15-24, remain at substantial risk of acquiring HIV and in 2021, they accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections in 2021 largely due to  biological, socio-economic, religious, and…

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#BREAKING: Marburg virus disease could become global outbreak

Michael Gwarisa

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has not ruled out the possibility of the Marburg virus disease (MVD) becoming a global health pandemic if necessary precautions are not taken on time. By Michael Gwarisa According to the Africa Center for Disease Control, MVD is a highly fatal, zoonotic haemorrhagic disease caused by the Marburg virus. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with body fluids from infected persons, or contact with equipment and other materials contaminated with infectious blood or tissues, body fluids of infected people, and contaminated surfaces or materials. Giving…

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Sweden Honors Love Shouldn’t Hurt Ambassadors

Michael Gwarisa

THE Embassy of Sweden in Harare and its partner, Population Solutions for Health (PSH), awarded several celebrities and influencers for using their voice to amplify the Love Shouldn’t Hurt (LSH) campaign, a movement  against intimate partner violence. By Michael Gwarisa The Awards Ceremony was held at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Harare on Friday 24, March 2023 and they were meant to applaud and recognize the champions who made the Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign a resounding success. In her speech at the awards event, Embassy of Sweden to Zimbabwe Ambassador…

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Incapacitated DR-TB Patients Bear The Brunt of Catastrophic Costs

Michael Gwarisa

Nqobizitha Nkomo and his wife from Insiza District in Matebeleland South, were both diagnosed of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) about a year ago. Even though they say they are feeling better,  Nkomo recounts how their situation almost reduced them to beggars of some sort in their quest to sustain their treatment and recovery journey. By Michael Gwarisa Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is a form of tuberculosis which has developed resistance to the main medicines used to treat TB. This form of TB can be resistant to one or more anti-TB medicines.…

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Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Ban To Reverse HIV/AIDS Gains Says PEPFAR

Michael Gwarisa

THE recently appointed leader of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Ambassador Dr. John N. Nkengasong says the recent move by the Ugandan government to pass a bill that makes identifying as LGBT a crime punishable by death, was not only inhuman but jeopardizes HIV efforts. By Michael Gwarisa According to results of the 2020 Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA), the current prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15 to 49 years in Uganda is 5.5 percent. However in Uganda, it is estimated that  there are…

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AWF Helps Zimbabwe Gvt Develop Biodiversity Economy Report

Michael Gwarisa

THE African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is currently supporting the Government of Zimbabwe in producing the Zimbabwe Biodiversity Economy Report, following a request by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to the Ministry of Environment to outline the economic contribution of nature to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. By Michael Gwarisa The move is part of AWF’s mandate to partner and support the Government of Zimbabwe in leveraging their rich biodiversity to promote empowerment, inclusivity, and equitable sharing of conservation benefits. Speaking recently during the the World Wildlife…

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HealthTimes Scribe Scoops Merck Foundation Regional Media Award

Kuda Pembere

ZIMBABWEAN journalists excelled at the just held Merck Foundation More than a Mother Media Awards, with HealthTimes Journalist and Editor, Michael Gwarisa emerging one of the winners during the ceremony that was held virtually.  By Kudakwashe Pembere The awards recognized Journalists who did exceptionally well with regards to reporting on Infertility and diabetes on the Africa continent. Michael, a multi award winning health Journalist in Zimbabwe came out third in the Online Media category in a heavily contested competition against fellow Journalists from the Southern African region. In an interview…

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Republic of Tanzania declares Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Outbreak

Michael Gwarisa

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 22 March 2023: On 21 March 2023, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Republic of Tanzania declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Bukoba district, Kagera region, north western Tanzania. Cumulatively, eight confirmed cases and five deaths, including a health care worker have been reported (case fatality rate: 63%), while three are undergoing treatment at designated treatment centres. Cases presented with fever, vomiting and bleeding from different body orifices. Samples collected tested positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at the National Public Health Laboratory. This…

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Zimbabwe Human Trafficking Victim Now Appeals For US$380 For Appendix Surgery

Michael Gwarisa

FUNGAI Manyara, who made headlines in 2022 after videos of her abuse in Oman surfaced is now appealing for an amount to the tune of US$380 to have an appendix surgery. By Staff Reporter When she called this paper, she indicated that she was in pain and consultations she had had with Sally Mugabe Hospital had indicated that a surgery was the solution to her problem. The hospital requires US$380 and i don’t have the money. Please help me by spreading the word, maybe somebody out there might be moved…

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Africa burdened with largest global increase of oral diseases

Michael Gwarisa

Brazzaville – Around 44% of the population in the African region suffer from oral diseases, and while the region has experienced the steepest rise globally in oral diseases over the last three decades, spending on treatment costs remains extremely low, a new report by World Health Organization (WHO) finds. Oral health remains a low priority in many African countries, leading to inadequate financial and technical investment, which in turn undermines prevention and care services as well as oral health promotion. Around 70% of sub-Saharan Africa countries spent less than US$ 1…

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