Category: Features

Conservation Is The Firewall To Future Public Health Threats Says AWF Boss

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In 2020, the world went into a total lockdown following the declaration of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) as a global health pandemic. The coronavirus is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Cases of novel coronavirus were first detected in China in December 2019, with the virus spreading rapidly to other countries worldwide. This led WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 and to characterise the outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March…

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Mothers’ Waiting Shelters Reduce Maternal Mortality Rates In Mat South

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere recently in Mat South Province Driven by the need to address challenges faced with expecting mothers during childbirth, maternity waiting homes have contributed to a reduction in the number women who die whilst giving birth in Matabeleland South province. The shelters are being established through financial support from the Health Resilience Fund (HRF) with the purposes of reducing maternal mortality from 462 to 240 per 100 000 live births and neonatal mortality from 32 to 20 per 1000 live births by 2025. HRF is funded by the…

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A Double Dose To The GBV Fight: Gweru One Stop-Centre and Safe Shelter Linkages Help Ease Referral Pathways For Survivors Of Gender-Based Violence

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa recently in Shurugwi In 2012, Sharon Hove (Not-Real Name), married the love of her life in one of the fanciest weddings Gweru has ever hosted.  They had two children together. Life was normal and all was going so well. However, the honeymoon was not to last long as her husband changed into a total stranger and started abusing her. At the just-held International Women’s Day Commemorations in Shurugwi, Sharon took a bold stance and narrated her abuse story in the presence of hundreds of people at Chitora…

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Addressing The Distance Barrier: Health Resilience Fund Integrated Health Outreach Services Brings Health To The Doorstep In Mat South

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere recently in Mat South Accessing basic health services is always a nightmare for people living in remote areas where they are faced with transport fare headaches due to the long treks to a nearest health facility. As a result, many end up shunning health care services, and resorting to risky health practices such home delivery of babies, not taking children for immunisation among others. During a Matabeleland South media tour assessing the impact of the Health Resilience Fund (HRF) in improving the attainment of universal health coverage,…

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Student Resource Centre Bridges SRH Unmet Need and Information Gaps for MSU Students

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa It’s around 12 midday, Audrey Katsande (22), and her friend Mitchell Munjoma (21) are chilling in the Girls’ Space inside the Student Resource Centre at the Midlands State University (MSU). It’s a time to cool off after a long morning of lectures and college work. University life can be difficult for students at times, and MSU students are no exception. Being a multi-campus college with an estimated student enrollment above 18000 students, the MSU is faced with unique challenges. Its accommodation facility caters only for less than…

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Facts About Vaccine Derived-Polio Virus Circulating In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In November 2023, Zimbabwe’s environmental surveillance system picked a vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV) strain, circulating in the sewage system in Harare’s high density suburbs namely Budiriro, Mbare and Mufakose.  A similar variant was detected in a 10-year-old child from Sanyati District in Mashonaland, West Province. The child has since developed paralysis following the Polio infection. Two other children in Mbare have had the same strain detected in them despite the absence of paralysis developing in either of them. Over the past few days, the Ministry of…

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From Hundreds Of Cholera Patients To Zero Admissions: Manicaland Showcases Power Of Multisectoral Collaboration In Outbreak Response

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa It’s about 11:00 in the morning, and Tichaona Shumba (45) from Chikuni Village, Farm 157 in Mutare Rural sits quietly on his bed at Zvipiripiri Clinic. He is probably wondering how he survived Cholera despite the disease having killed many people in his district between October and December 2023. There is not much activity at the facility, left for a few men carrying out some renovations in one of the wards. A handful of Village Health Workers (VHWs) are also seated under a shed ahead of their…

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Buhera Village Head Leads Whole Village To Get Vaccinated After Losing Five Family Members To Cholera

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Buhera In Mubvirwi Village, Buhera under Chief Nyashanu, tales of how one family lost five members within a space of five days will forever be told decades from now. Even though this tragic incident occurred five months ago, when the Cholera outbreak was at its peak in Buhera District, one can easily sense the sadness and sombre atmosphere that has engulfed the once vibrant and happy village of Mubvirwi. The new graves that have sprouted across Villages in Buhera over the past few months are a…

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Zimbabwe: MSF teams help tackle cholera in Buhera district

Healthtimes

It’s swelteringly hot under the midday sun in Chapanduka village in Buhera, a district of Manicaland province in south-eastern Zimbabwe, where a cholera outbreak has been raging since October 2023. A vehicle belonging to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is navigating the bumpy road, heading to a local clinic to help treat patients and support local health staff in the management of the deadly waterborne disease. Suddenly the MSF vehicle draws to a halt. A man is lying on the roadside, drawing a crowd of onlookers, many of whom…

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Dr Solanki calls for Government, Private Sector Partnership in the health sector

Healthtimes

Dr Vivek Solanki, with over 37 years of service in the health sector, was recently honored as the 2023 Zimbabwe Trailblazers Community Distinguished Medical Champion. Dr Solanki in return, honored Dr Johannes Marisa as a game-changer in the medical field. Special mention went to his wife Ana, without whom he would not have been able to build all these hospitals and clinics. His message was centered on private sector partnership with the government. He noted that the government is doing its part, and the private sector needs to step up…

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