Category: Health News

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Very Promising’ But Cold Chain Issues: WHO

Healthtimes

THE World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief said on Tuesday it hopes to have a COVID-19 vaccine by year-end and that Pfizer’s experimental remedy is “a very promising one”, with more expected. SOURCE: Reuters But the vaccine, based on a novel technology that uses synthetic mRNA to activate the immune system against the virus, comes with special challenges as it needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or below – equivalent to an Antarctic winter. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated the United Nations agency’s call for…

Read More

One year after Nairobi, the march continues towards rights and choices for all

Michael Gwarisa

Despite global COVID-19 crisis, governments uphold support for women’s and girls’ health and rights, one year after historic summit on ICPD25 AS the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the health and economies of countries around the world, governments, non-governmental organizations, international financial institutions and the private sector are stepping up political, financial and in-kind support for programmes that protect the health and rights of women and girls in developing countries. A year ago, at the landmark Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, the world came together to commit…

Read More

Briefcase HIV Organizations Causing Havoc In HIV Coordination Says NAC

Michael Gwarisa

THE National Aids Council (NAC) has vowed to restore sanity in the HIV response sector by capacitating the Zimbabwe Nationwide Network of People Living with HIV (ZNNP+) which was mandated at the initial stages of the HIV pandemic in Zimbabwe to coordinate community participation and involvement in the HIV response. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking to HealthTimes in an interview, NAC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Bernard Madzima said currently there was chaos in the HIV response at the back of mushrooming organisations purporting to be representing the PLHIV community. ZNNP+…

Read More

Governments Must Demand Pharma Make All COVID-19 Vaccine Licensing Deals Public Says MSF

Michael Gwarisa

AFTER the worrying terms of a deal struck between pharmaceutical corporation AstraZeneca and Brazilian public research body Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) were disclosed recently, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called on governments to urgently demand transparency from pharmaceutical corporations on all COVID-19 vaccine licensing agreements, as well as clinical trial costs and data, especially considering the billions of dollars of public, taxpayer money that have gone towards the development of these potential vaccines. Fiocruz took an important step towards more transparency by publishing online the license agreement with AstraZeneca to produce…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

Madzimai Akupedzwa Nzara Yebonde Ne Gym Ne Mabasa- Vana Mazvikokota

Michael Gwarisa

MUDZIMAI akagarisa  asina kunzi tokonyo zvinogona kuvhiringa zvakwanda. Zvino kunze kwaita dambudziko, madzimai akawanda haachafarire bonde nekuda kwezvikonzero zvakwanda mazuva ano. Umwe Mazvikokota pane tsvakurudzo dzakaitwa anoti iye madzimai akupedzwa simba kugym, huye nekuita mabasa akawanda zvinosangasira anoita kuti vanete pfungwa zvese nemuviri. Na Michael Gwarisa Tsvakurudzo yakaitwa ku United Kingdom ye National Survey of Sexual Attitudes inoratidza kuti vanhu havachafadzane pabonde sezvaiitwa chinyakare. Sarudzo idzi dzakaona kuti mugore ra 1990, murume nemukadzi vaigona kuita bonde kshanu pa mwedzi, mugore ra 2000, vadikani vaiita bonde kana (4 times) tozoti muna…

Read More

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%,…

Read More