#JUSTIN: Bars Now Allowed To Operate, As Gvt Eases Lockdown

CABINET has resolved to allow bars, night clubs and other liquor retailers to  operate though under strict COVID-19 regulations. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing Journalists during a post cabinet media briefing, Information minister, Honorable Monica Mutsvangwa said the move was part of the easing of restrictions at the back of the positive trajectory the COVID-19 infection pattern has taken lately even though she encouraged citizens to be vigilant to avoid unnecessary spread of the virus. Following representations from the Liquor Retailers’ Association seeking permission for liquor retailers to commence operations, Cabinet…

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2020 HIV Targets Won’t Be Met As COVID-19 Blows HIV Progress Away

A new report by UNAIDS shows remarkable, but highly unequal, progress, notably in expanding access to antiretroviral therapy. According to the report, the global HIV targets set for 2020 will not be reached because the achievements have not been shared equally within and between countries, HealthTimes  The report, Seizing the moment, warns that even the gains made could be lost and progress further stalled if we fail to act. It highlights just how urgent it is for countries to double down and act with greater urgency to reach the millions…

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Anna Sango Joins Global Network of People Living With HIV

TRAILBLAZING and young HIV advocate, Anna Sango has joined the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) as the PLHIV Stigma Index advocacy officer. By Michael Gwarisa As an advocacy officer, Anna will be working closely with the team in providing technical assistance to countries implementing the PLHIV Stigma Index. She will focus on providing assistance to countries on how to turn the results of the PLHIV Stigma Index into advocacy actions. Commenting on her appointment, Anna said she was ready and rearing to go and she would give…

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Ministry of Health Restructuring Exercise To Prioritize Health Care Workers Welfare

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) is currently undergoing an overhaul restructuring process which is meant to bring sanity to the country’s health sector which will see conditions of service for health workers improve, a top government official has said. By Michael Gwarisa The restructuring process has already claimed scalps of various top brass within he ministry and its departments. To date, several hospital Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), ministry department directors and other high-profile personnel have either been reassigned or resigned from their posts. Briefing Journalists today, Health…

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Embalming COVID-19 Corpses Not Recommended, As WHO Releases New Guidelines For Managing Dead Bodies Under COVID-19

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned funeral services organizations and mortuary services facilities against embalming COVID-19 bodies as it still poses a risk of infection to unsuspecting staffers. By Michael Gwarisa In its new interim guidelines for Infection prevention and control for the safe management of a dead body in the context of COVID-19 released on Friday, September 2020, the World Health Organisation said even though the risk of infection from a cadaver is very low, there is still risk should one get into contact with body secretions and…

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COVID-19 Shuts Door To Infertile Women Seeking IVF Services In Zimbabwe

MAJORITY of women seeking In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) services could not be assisted during the COVID-19 induced lockdown restrictions despite the fact that many could be racing against their biological clock. By Michael Gwarisa In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child. During IVF, mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. In an interview with HealthTimes, Mwanachipo Africa Trust (MAT) Board Chairperson, Mr Heaven Munyuki said…

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#TalkingCOVID19WithDrGrant: Complacency Will Be Our Biggest Enemy In The Fight Against Covid-19

Dr Grant Murewanhema

FOR almost nine months now, Zimbabwe has been battling the COVID-19 outbreak, which unfortunately has brought unprecedented changes to our way of life. As a country, Zimbabwe has by and large been spared of major epidemics in the past, and the COVID-19 pandemic presents the first real challenge to the country. By Dr Grant Murewanhema The previous SARS and MERS outbreaks relatively spared most of Africa, Zimbabwe included, and the Ebola Viral Disease outbreaks of West Africa also spared Southern Africa. Not surprisingly, the idea of quarantine, isolation and lockdowns…

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Couples Who Sleep Naked Have A More Fulfilling Sexual Relationship

DO you sleep with your clothes on? Then it’s probably time you ditch those fabrics and start sleeping in your birthday suit. Sleeping naked as a couple could lead to a very healthy and intimate relationship between married couples according to scientific research. By Dr Love Ladies, especially African ladies come up with myths and stories to justify sleeping with their clothes on. “If I sleep naked, evil spirits will have sex with me in my sleep,” they say, while some believe that sleeping naked will allow air to enter…

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CDC Intensifies Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment In Zimbabwe

THE Center for Diseases Control (CDC) has scaled up Cervical Cancer and treatment in Zimbabwe in a bid to reduce the high mortality and morbidity associated with the disease  in  Zimbabwe. By Michael Gwarisa According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Cervical Cancer kills not less than 2000 women annually and majority of affected women are women living with HIV. In its 2019 Annual report, CDC Zimbabwe 2019 said HIV remains an important risk factor for cervical cancer, with HIV-positive women 4-5 times more…

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Africa to get 220 million Covid-19 vaccine doses

THE World Health Organization (WHO) has said that once a Covid-19 vaccine is approved, Africa will get at least 220 million initial doses. The first batch will prioritise front-line healthcare workers and vulnerable groups, according to the WHO Africa Program Area Manager Richard Mihigo. He said distribution will be based on the population of each country. Mr Mihigo said all 54 countries had expressed interest in a Covid-19 vaccine. Africa has a population of more than 1.3 billion people. The global vaccine initiative, called COVAX, intends to help purchase and…

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