Category: Features

New WHO Findings On Possible Links Between COVID-19 And Chinese Sea Food Market Call For Action Against Zoonotic Diseases

Michael Gwarisa

By Dingaan Mithi For many months, there has been speculation on the possible origins of Covid-19. While there is no conclusive proof or evidence as to where exactly the virus originated from, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) blamed the Chinese government, pointing to a laboratory leakage of the virus, a new report by public health experts finds that Covid-19 could have originated in raccoon dogs. On 4 March 2023, scientists discovered accessions posted publicly on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), a global science initiative…

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Insect Porridge to Enhance Children Nutrition in Africa

Healthtimes

By Bird Story Agency – Learnmore Nyoni  January winds blow through mopane forests of Gwanda district in Zimbabwe’s Matebeleland South province. Silibaziso Dube buckles up her waist wrap as she kneels down to blow life to the dying flames at a makeshift fireplace where a large tin of water sits precariously on two rocks. Tswaranang Mashonja Community Group members have gathered to taste a new mopane worm based instant porridge developed by the Insects4Nutrition research team. Dr Lesley Macheka is the Director for Innovation and Industrialisation at Marondera University of…

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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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JHWO Rural Clinic Accelerates Identification of Missed TB cases in Vungu

Michael Gwarisa

Jackson Sibanda a small scale artisanal miner from Vungu, Village 6 has just been screened for Tuberculosis (TB) at Riversdale Clinic in Vungu, 40 Kilometers away from Gweru. Due to the nature of his job which requires him to move from one place to another in search of the gold, he has little time on his hands and rarely visits a health facility whenever he falls ill. By Michael Gwarisa in Vungu However, his friend recently tested positive for TB and he fears he might have contracted it since they…

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SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF: How AWET Health interventions have reduced home deliveries Among Apostolic Women and Girls in Shurugwi

Michael Gwarisa

Caroline Ngosha (23), from Shurugwi is expecting her third child in a few months’ time. In both her previous pregnancies, she delivered her children at home in line with the dictates of her religion, a white garment apostolic sect. Some apostolic sects in Zimbabwe do not allow their followers to use family planning or contraception methods. Neither do they sanction female followers to register with the Anti Natal Clinic (ANC), later on deliver in a health institution. By Michael Gwarisa in Shurugwi She remembers vividly how life threatening giving birth…

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Gweru Sex Workers Pose as MSU Students To Get Sex Clients As Competition Gets Tough

Michael Gwarisa

IN a few weeks’ time, the Midlands State University (MSU) will resume classes, and sex workers in Gweru are already fretting over the period as they fear finding themselves in the old profession’s relegation zone. Amongst sex clients, sleeping with a University student is a huge flex and status symbol. By Michael Gwarisa recently in the Midlands Province  This is also the trend in Zvishavane where the MSU has also established a campus. A few years ago, an MSU official told a parliamentary portfolio committee that Sex Workers from Zvishavane…

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Four Neglected Tropical Diseases That Shouldn’t Be

Healthtimes

How USAID is leading the charge against elephantiasis, scabies, intestinal worms, and yaws in the Pacific Islands Did you know that 1 billion people worldwide are affected by neglected tropical diseases? Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are parasitic and bacterial conditions predominantly found in tropical regions of the world that plague many low-income and marginalized populations. In the Pacific Islands, USAID works with national and local governments, development partners, and communities to build awareness, conduct screenings, and deliver medicine to help combat the following four most prevalent neglected tropical diseases affecting…

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How COVID can disturb your sleep and dreams – and what could help

Healthtimes

If you’ve had trouble sleeping during or after a COVID infection, you’re not alone. By the end of 2022, more than 650 million COVID infections had been reported to the World Health Organization. With the true number likely much higher, and the tally increasing by hundreds of thousands every week, the scientific community has been focused on understanding the impact of COVID on our physical health, mental health and brain function. By The Conversation In the early stage of the pandemic, sleep scientists charted the costs and benefits of lockdowns…

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Blood For Fuel Coupons: Has The NBSZ Finally Struck The Right Code?

Michael Gwarisa

THE 2018 proclamation by the then Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr David Parirenytwa of a free blood initiative in all public health institutions has resulted in increased demand for the precious liquid. As a result, the country’s blood bank has been running on less than the required stocks for a prolonged period now. By Michael Gwarisa According to global blood stocks standards, a healthy blood bank should have at least five days’ supply at any given time. However, in most cases, the Zimbabwean blood bank, the National…

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Health equity, not a pipe dream: EQUINET

Healthtimes

The Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET) has called for collective agency and action that embeds equity values in the region to promote health, amid deeply-rooted multiple challenges that are widening the gaps between rich and poor. By Nyasha Chingono The four-day EQUINET conference in 2022 (with session videos available on the EQUINET site) was held under the theme ‘Catalysing change for equity and social justice in health’. During the conference delegates raised calls for collaborative efforts between states, professionals and communities to tackle…

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