#BREAKING: Zimbabwe Receives Over 800k Cholera Vaccines

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has taken delivery of 892 286 doses of Oral Cholera Vaccines to complement ongoing efforts to contain the Cholera outbreak. The country is set to receive over two million doses in the coming weeks to vaccinate people in 28 hardest hit districts by Cholera. Cholera has since been reported in 60 districts countrywide. Speaking soon after the arrival of the Vaccines at Robert Mugabe International Airport, Health and Child Care Minister, Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the vaccines have come at a critical time. Cases have been going…

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UNICEF donates cholera medicine to Zim Health Ministry

By Kuda Pembere The Ministry of Health and Child Care has received US$265 000 worth of cholera treatment medicines and equipment from Unicef to help Zimbabwe in the containment of the outbreak. Speaking at the handover ceremony at NatPharm Warehouse in Harare on Friday, the Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said it was disconcerting to find the case fatality rate still over 2 percent. And what you have given us today is quite substantial and will go a long way in helping us combat the cholera epidemic.…

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Zim among highly burdened AMR African countries with National Action Plans

By Kuda Pembere With Zimbabwe drafting its second National Action Plan to reduce Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), it is among some African countries that is still battling high AMR, a study says. Compared to European countries with AMR national action plans, despite a display of commitment to ameliorate AMR issues, African countries are still struggling with the high burden. A study published in The Lancet titled ‘The burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in the WHO African region in 2019: a cross-country systematic analysis’, noted that implementation of these policies was the…

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Save The Children, IOM, FST In Partnership to Boost Uptake of SRHR and HIV Services In Zimbabwe’s Migration Corridors

By Michael Gwarisa A tripartite partnership that includes the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Save the Children and Family Support Trust (FST), has been formed in a bid to promote the uptake of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV services as well as reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of young people, migrants and individuals living in migration-affected communities. The initiative dubbed SRHR –HIV Knows No Boarders (KNB) project is being implemented in Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge district. The project will run from 2024 to 2026 and is set to reach…

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Major Boost For Harare Cholera Fight As Red Cross Donates Aqua Safe Water Quality Testing Kits and Gadgets

By Michael Gwarisa The City of Harare health department has received five Aqua Safe Water Quality Testing Kits and gadgets from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS), to strengthen the City’s water testing capacity and Diarrhoeal disease surveillance in Harare, HealthTimes has learnt. The donation is a brainchild of the  “Integrated Strategy for Cholera Risk Elimination and Mitigation” project funded by the Finnish Red Cross and the European Union (DG ECHO). The water quality test kits and gadgets will be used to strengthen water quality surveillance in the project target…

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Kwidini appointed Health Deputy Minister

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Honorable Sleiman Timios Kwidini as the deputy minister for the Health and Child Care ministry effective immediately. Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr. Martin Rushwaya announced this appointment on Wedenesday. “In terms of Subsection 2 of Section 104 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013, His Excellency the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has appointed the followingDeputy Ministers with immediate effect Honorable Kwidini represents the Chiwundura Constituency in Parliament and according to a LinkedIn profile, he is a registered general…

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Albert Nyathi, Adiona Chidzonga Appointed Family Planning Brand Ambassadors

By Michael Gwarisa Renowned poet and musician Albert Nyathi and Songstress, Adiona Chidzonga, have been re-appointed brand ambassadors for the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), in a move that is set to boost the uptake of Family planning services in Zimbabwe. Nyathi and Adiona’s contracts will run for one year with the possibility of renewal. Adiona’s role as ZNFPC brand ambassador commenced in 2018 and the council has been renewing it over years. Nyathi’s role involves being a Male Motivator, whose sole mandate is to raise awareness on Family…

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Cameroon Introduces Malaria Vaccine Into Routine Vaccination

By Michael Gwarisa Cameroon has become the first of many countries to introduce the RTS,S malaria vaccine into its routine immunisation programme. Cameroon’s move comes hot on the heels of a malaria vaccine pilot programme that was carried out in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The introduction comes as efforts gather pace to scale up vaccination against the disease in high risk areas in Africa. The vaccine is being rolled out across 42 health districts in the country’s 10 regions in public and private health facilities. The launch comes after Cameroon…

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Zimbabwe prepares for Cholera Vaccines arrival

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe will soon take delivery of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) doses following the recent approval for delivery of the consignment by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Zimbabwe is among Southern African countries experiencing a surge in Cholera case due as a result of deteriorating water and sanitation infrastructure, climate change among a host of other factors. Speaking an interview with HealthTimes, Dr Aspect Maunganidze, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) said all was set for the arrival of Cholera Vaccine doses…

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