Category: Health News

Zim Oral Cholera Vaccination Coverage Reaches 90 Percent Milestone

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Uptake of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCVs) in Zimbabwe has reached 90 percent in the districts where vaccines were deployed since the onset of the campaign on February 29, 2024, HealthTimes has learnt. Zimbabwe successfully applied for Oral Cholera Vaccines and the country was awarded 2.3 million dosses from what was requested. A total 892,296 OCV dosses were initially received, followed by an additional 493,150 vaccines which arrived February 5, 2024, bringing the total number of vaccines the country has received to 1,884,536 vaccines. The final batch of…

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AVAC Facilitates Translation of Health and Scientific Terms Into 10 African Languages

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to bridge information gaps between scientific research and community understanding, AVAC has launched the Translation Index, a translation of health and scientific terms into vernacular languages for Six African countries. The Translation Index offers health journalists accurate translations of commonly used and essential medical terms in their native languages in six African countries namely Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. At this time the Translation Index supports the following languages: Bemba, Cichewa, Dholuo, Kiswahili, Luganda, Ndebele, Runyankore, Shona, Tonga, and Tumbuka. We welcome…

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Merck Foundation avails over 140 oncology scholarships to Africa

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere The number of Merck Foundation’s scholarships for training cancer specialists in Africa to meet the huge demand of oncology services is increasing as the organization’s Cancer Access Program with First Ladies and Ministries of Health has managed to avail over 140 scholarships to African doctors. Cancer Access Program seeks to build quality and equitable cancer care capacity in Africa with the aim to increase the limited number of Oncologists and develop the first multidisciplinary cancer care teams across the continent. With World Cancer Day commemorations running on…

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Adolescents with HIV and Anger: At what age should guardians disclose the HIV status?

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere When some adolescents living with HIV describe their relationship with guardians, it is like they were reading from the same script yet they are different young boys and young girls, in different times, different geographical areas. Much like Deborah Cox and the late Whitney Houston singing Same script different cast, in this case, it was an expression of their hatred towards their guardians. Through the writer’s interactions with these Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS), it was clear they were still agonizing and angry about being HIV positive.…

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SAfAIDS launches 2024 HIV prevention shadow report

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere SAfAIDS Zimbabwe on Thursday launched the 2024 Zimbabwe HIV Prevention Shadow Report where the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) together withe the National AIDS Council (NAC) were tasked to complete Zimbabwe’s HIV national prevention roadmap by September this year. Presenting the report on Thursday, SAfAIDS Regional Policy & Advocacy Specialist,  Adolf Mavheneke said since the country participated in the formation of the Global HIV Prevention coalition attending all regional meetings, the HIV prevention roadmap has not been localized. What our specific advocacy asks against the…

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Providing Point of Care Response To Cholera Patients In Harare’s Biggest Informal Settlement

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In Zimbabwe every year, December 22, marks Unity Day, an occasion to commemorate the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987, when Zimbabwe’s two rival political parties signed an agreement to end a protracted period of conflict. 36 years later, on December 22, 2023, everyone woke with anticipation to celebrate this important day on the national Calendar. For most Zimbabweans, it was a normal but cloudy Unity Day Holiday, with a high likelihood of precipitation later in the day. However, for Tanaka Nyamukoko (23) from Hopley, a…

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Zimbabwe Records Upsurge In Adolescents Booking In Antenatal Clinics

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Adolescent pregnancy prevalence in Zimbabwe is standing at 23.7 percent, while 21 percent of Antenatal Clinic (ANC) bookings were recorded from January 2019 to December 2022 among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, HealthTimes can reveal. The pregnancies have largely been driven by a myriad of factors, chief among them being economic-induced hardships, sexual abuse, and early exposure to pornographic and indecent online content, according to data from a National Assessment of Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe. The National assessment was conducted by the Centre for Sexual Health…

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United Kingdom Funds New Malaria Vaccines Research

Michael Gwarisa

By David Cameron Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs “In 2022, three in four of those who died from malaria were African children under five years old. Britain is helping end this epidemic. A bite from a miniscule mosquito may seem just a pinprick. The parasite which can then infect you is microscopic. But these tiny organisms spread malaria. And without the right treatment, this can kill. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), almost 250 million people caught malaria in 2022, of whom over 600,000 died.…

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Dr Solanki calls for Government, Private Sector Partnership in the health sector

Healthtimes

Dr Vivek Solanki, with over 37 years of service in the health sector, was recently honored as the 2023 Zimbabwe Trailblazers Community Distinguished Medical Champion. Dr Solanki in return, honored Dr Johannes Marisa as a game-changer in the medical field. Special mention went to his wife Ana, without whom he would not have been able to build all these hospitals and clinics. His message was centered on private sector partnership with the government. He noted that the government is doing its part, and the private sector needs to step up…

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Zimbabwe Launches House to House Oral Cholera Vaccination Campaign

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa A total of 2.3 million people, aged one year old and above, are set to benefit from the Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaign that has been launched in Harare today. The campaign will be carried out on a  house-to-house, and cluster-to-cluster basis in 160 wards within 26 high-risk districts in seven provinces namely Harare, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands. These districts are considered the main drivers of the outbreak. Officiating at the launch, Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr Douglass…

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