Category: Health News

Dolutegravir ARV Drug Linked To Spike In Obesity and Hypertension In Zimbabwe’s People Living With HIV-New Study

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Significant weight gain and a high incidence of Hypertension cases have been picked among Zimbabweans Living with HIV who switched to Dolutegravir (DTG), based, efavirenz (EFV)-based and ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r)-based Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in Zimbabwe. A longitudinal study conducted by Zimbabwe’s renowned Clinical Scientist and Laboratory expert, Tinei Shmu et al which sought to explore  “Body weight and blood pressure changes on dolutegravir-, efavirenz- or atazanavir-based antiretroviral therapy in Zimbabwe” gathered that the Zimbabwe’s HIV response now faces an increased burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The study…

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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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New Report Details Huge Malaria Vaccine Gap

Michael Gwarisa

10 million potential doses will go unordered and unused in 2024. African nations must demonstrate demand for the lifesaving R21 vaccine. LUSAKA — 1Day Africa is releasing its latest comprehensive report on the status of the R21 vaccine rollout. The report highlights the consequences of the shortfall in ordered doses, what can still be done to accelerate the vaccine’s deployment, and what role African nations and Western funders must play to maximize the vaccine’s impact. The R21 vaccine has rightfully been heralded as a major step forward in the fight…

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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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Zim’s National Cancer Control Plan on cards

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Ministry of Health and Child Care is on the verge of completing the National Cancer Control Plan to guide Zimbabwe in the management of cancer in the country. This was said by Mr Lee Nkala from the Health Ministry’s Non-Communicable Diseases Department during the commemorations of International Childhood Cancer Day at KidzCan Offices in Harare last Thursday running under the theme, “Unveiling Challenges.” International Childhood Cancer Day is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and to express support for children and adolescents…

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All systems go for Zim’s Oral Polio Vaccination

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere   As the Zimbabwean government has taken stock of over 10 million novel oral polio vaccine doses, the Ministry of Health and Child Care commences the national vaccination campaign tomorrow, save for Harare Province currently seized with cholera vaccination, to be delayed three days after other provinces in the country.   Addressing the media during a national Polio update, the National Polio Incident Manager and the National Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) manager Colline Chigodo said the vaccination campaign was given the nod to be rolled out…

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USAID, FAO launches US$2.7 million fund for livestock diseases fight in Zim

Healthtimes

By Kuda Pembere and Nthokozo Gudu With Zimbabwe’s cattle herd under threat from livestock diseases, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) availed to the tune of US$2.7 million an emergency project fund to fight these diseases. Most common of the livestock diseases in Zimbabwe are tickbone diseases such as theileriosis better known as January Disease. Officiating the event last week, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said the livestock sector is currently bedevilled with several…

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Wearing Tight-Fitting Pants Increases Risk of Infertility in Men- Zim Doctor Warns

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Tight underwear, boxers or pants generate so much heat that could literary overheat the sperm and compromise sperm quality, a top Obstetrician and researcher, has warned. His warning comes in the wake of evidence of a notable increase in the prevalence of infertility in men over the years, amid a growing fashion trend where slim-fit or tight-fitting clothes have become trendy. Data from a cross-section study by Dr Mugove Madziyire et al which explored “The causes of infertility in women presenting to gynecology clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe”…

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Zim targets 4.2 million children in emergency polio vaccination

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere Having detected some cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV) in Harare, another has been identified in Sanyati, a district in Mashonaland West prompting Zimbabwe’s health authorities to activate an emergency vaccination campaign for children below 10 years of age this month. The vaccination blitz intends to vaccinate 4.2 million children across the country. Addressing journalists on Friday,Deputy Health and Child Care Minister Honorable Sleiman Timios Kwidini said through their surveillance mechanisms they identified a case which was confirmed via laboratory tests. “The Ministry of Health and…

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