Category: Features

Mass Drug Administration Boosts Health Outcomes and School Attendance For Zimbabwe School Children

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Nyazura  Children at St Peters Tokoyo primary school, about 25 Kilometers from Nyazura Growth point in Makoni District, Manicaland province, have braced the chilly weather to queue for the Bilharzia and Intestinal worms medications being administered under the nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) program. At Tokoyo Primary school and the nearby clinic, health workers from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) are administering Praziquantel, treatment for Schistosomiasis or Bilharzia. According to a 2021 Community-Based Mapping, Makoni District has an double endemicity of  Schistosomiasis and…

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Experts Warn of Funeral Scams: How to Avoid Them

Healthtimes

By Own Correspondent As funerals grow increasingly expensive, with attended services in Australia averaging $8,745 and larger events reaching up to $15,000, it’s become more important than ever for Australian families to protect themselves from being ripped off. Not only do the exorbitant costs of a funeral warrant extra scrutiny and care, but falling prey to a scam can further compound the financial hardship, adding to the emotional toll on grieving families. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has noted a significant rise in complaints related to funeral services…

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Silencing the Abused: Mbire Villagers Sweep Girls Sexual Abuse Cases Under the Rug

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Mbire It’s an early Friday morning, and villagers from communities surrounding Mushumbi Pools growth point in Mbire, troop to Mushumbi High School, where several partners are offering Gender Based Violence (GBV) services under a Mobile One Stop Centre setup. Over 100 women and girls arrived at the venue by 9:00 am. However, one can’t help but notice the visibly young children with babies strapped on their backs. At first glance, one might be tempted to assume the girls are probably ferrying their siblings and probably waiting…

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Mobile One-Stop Centre Eases Referral Pathway Hurdles for Mbire GBV Survivors

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Mbire At the height of COVID-19 in 2021, when she was only 17 and about to sit for her ordinary-level examinations, Tracy Mushonga (not her real name) from Nyakatsa B1 Village in Mbire, Mashonaland Central was impregnated. She dropped out of school and went to live with her husband. A few months into her marriage, Tracey realised all was not rosy as her husband would physically abuse her daily. Between the period 2020 and 2021 when the world was on lockdown due to COVID-19, Mashonaland Central…

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Young Person With HIV Yearns To Be A Doctor

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere recently in Bindura Renowned motivational speaker, Napoleon Hill once said, “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”  Though it may appear like Sisyphean task at the moment since he is yet to enroll for Advanced level studies, Hill’s quote aptly befits this 22-year old lad’s desire to become a medical doctor. Hillary Ngirazi from Bindura is a buoyant Community Adolescent Treatment Supporter (CATS) at Foothill’s Rural Clinic in his District. A dedicated…

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Ward-Based Mass Drug Administration Sets Zimbabwe On Elephantiasis Elimination Trajectory

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Gwanda Approximately 48 Kilometres outside Gwanda town in Sifanjani Village, 68-year-old Reuben Sibanda sits amongst his fellow village men and women under a giant Baobab tree. They all listen attentively to the health worker educating them about Lymphatic Filariasis also known as Elephantiasis and why they should partake in the ongoing Mass Drug Administration (MDA) underway in Gwanda and Seven other districts across the country. It’s an unusual sight under the big Baobab tree as men of all ages, who in most circles, are regarded as…

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Don’t Ignore the Childhood Cancer Red Flags: Listen To Your Child

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month where the childhood cancer community comes together to show their support for the children, young people, and families who have been affected by childhood cancer. In Zimbabwe, Childhood cancers continue to affect children and according to the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry, common childhood cancers in the country include Acute Leukaemia also known as Blood cancer, CNS tumours or brain and spinal cord tumors, Wilm’s Tumor which affects the kidneys also known as nephroblastoma. There is also Retinoblastoma or cancer of the eye…

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HIV Positive Zimbabwean Mothers Celebrate Life Of Healthy Choices and Healthy Children

Healthtimes

By Takunda Mandura Having been diagnosed with HIV during her first pregnancy 15 years ago, Moud Chinembiri, now a mother of two children, has defied the odds and looked the beast in the eye. Now her child whom she had when she had a positive HIV diagnosis is attending high school and is HIV-negative, a living testimony of the intervention measures against HIV.   Her daughter has been her treatment buddy. “My daughter has become sort of my alarm to remind me of my medication schedule. I can say she…

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Why Africans and Europeans React To Medicines Differently: Zimbabwean Scientist Tests Effectiveness of Pharmacogenetics in African Populations

Michael Gwarisa

While some patients experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) when taking medicines, others do not, and in some cases, others do not receive therapeutic benefits from treatment regardless of dosage. One reason for this inter-individual variation in response is differences in genes that code for proteins important in drug response. This has given rise to the field of Pharmacogenomics (PGx), which seeks to identify biomarkers that predict drug response and apply them in the provision of PGx-guided precision medicine. Following years of repeated Pharmacogenomics (PGx) research, which sought to identify biomarkers…

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“Straight from the Class to the Labour Ward,” Teen Mom Wishes “Not In My Village Campaign” Had Visited Her Village Earlier

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Chiweshe She is Forget Nyamukandenga (19) from Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central. At age 17, in 2022, she was impregnated by a 24-year-old man, a development she says completely changed the course of her life. When she fell pregnant, she was doing her Upper Sixth studies in Mt Darwin and was due to write her examinations in November of the same year. Left with no option, her parents had to send her away to stay with the man responsible for her pregnancy. This period marked the genesis of…

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