Health News |

Health Ministry gets 9 percent of Zim’s 2024 Budget

November 30, 2023 Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Out of a Z$58.2 trillion budget for the year 2024, Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube on Thursday alloted to the Health and Child Care Ministry Z$6.3 trillion. Representing a meagre 9.2 percent, this is about 6 percent shy of the Abuja declaration agreed 15 percent which Zimbabwe ratified. Last year the Health Ministry got 11 percent which the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) decried as an uninspiring allotment. Announcing the 2024 Budget, Finance Minister Prof Ncube said Treasury only had Z$58.2 trillion in its purse against…

Using alternatives to antimicrobials working for Murehwa poultry farmers

November 30, 2023October 2, 2024 Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere in Murehwa BEFORE her damascene moment in poultry care, Christine Muunganirwa, a 50 year old woman in Kambarami Village in Ward Murehwa district suffered significant losses. Whenever the chicks fell ill, whether it was a cough, or oddly coloured stool, she rushed to administer some Amoxicillin tablets. Amoxicillin is the most abused antibiotic not only in human health but also poultry. To rationalize the use of antimicrobials in chickens, some nifty poultry farmers in Murehwa district have resorted to using traditional herbal medicines in lieu of antibiotics.…

Population Solutions for Health launches PREVENT program

November 29, 2023 Healthtimes

Population Solutions for Health (PSH), and Populations Service International (PSI) on Monday hosted the Going the Last Mile for HIV Control closeout while launching the PREVENT program meant to protect the gains Zimbabwe has made in the fight against HIV pandemic. By Nthokozo Gudu PSH Executive Director and Managing Trustee, Dr Noah Taruberekera gave remarks and celebrated the successes of the Last mile program. This event is about looking back and celebrating the successes of the US$101 million dollars Last Mile program funded by PEPFAR through USAID. This program was…

Africa CDC and Mastercard Foundation launch phase 2 of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative to strengthen Africa’s public health systems

November 29, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

LUSAKA, Zambia, 29 November 2023 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation have entered a new phase of their partnership on the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative in the aftermath of WHO’s declaration of the end of COVID-19 pandemic as a public health emergency of international concern. The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, a bold and unprecedented $1.5 billion partnership, was launched in June 2021. This innovative and ground-breaking partnership aimed to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, roll out vaccinations, build the vaccine manufacturing workforce for the continent, and…

‘January disease’ vaccine revives Goromonzi cattle farmers’ hopes

November 29, 2023October 1, 2024 Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere recently in Goromonzi IT is 11 pm in the scotching sun as cattle jump into Mwanza Diptank in Mwanza Village,Goromonzi district, their usual place for dipping to fight against tickbone disease. Diptanks also known as plunge dips also provide the most effective and efficient method for controlling ticks in animals against ticks, flies, mites, lice and other external parasites. An hour earlier, delegates from United Nations quadripartite agencies of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and…

Zim’s Veterinary services department to produce anthrax vaccine

November 28, 2023December 12, 2023 Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Officials at Zimbabwe’s Department of Veterinary Services Department say they will soon commence the production of an anthrax vaccine. Diseases such as anthrax, and theileriosis usually manifest during the rainy season. Anthrax is caused by a spore-forming bacterium. It mainly affects animals. Humans can become infected through contact with an infected animal or by inhaling spores. Speaking to delegates from, World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Africa CDC and Africa Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) during…

Primary school pupils in Murehwa join AMR fight

November 28, 2023February 29, 2024 Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere recently in Murehwa Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a discipline which many are still trying to understand. It is an area of study that takes several years of study to understand and master. AMR is when antimicrobials cease working in an organism due to overuse or misuse. But this knowledge, is nothing compared to what the delegates from Africa Union and UN agencies namely the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH), Africa CDC, and Africa Union InterAfrica Bureau of Animal…

Africa Warms Up To Single-Dose HPV Vaccine

November 27, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Following the relaunch of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) programme by GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, in line with the new World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations for a single-dose HPV vaccine, African states are embracing the administering of the one dosage in eligible populations. The developments come amidst indications that GAVI has set an ambitious target to reach 86 million girls with the HPV vaccine by 2025, as immunisation partners outline an ambitious plan to protect millions of girls in lower- and middle-income countries against cervical cancer. Speaking during…

CPHIA 2023 Spotlights Need For Africa’s Collaboration in the Midst of Climate Change Linked Healthcare Challenges

November 27, 2023October 18, 2025 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Lusaka, Zambia The third edition of the annual International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA2023, has kicked off in Lusaka, Zambia, amidst growing calls for African nations to combine efforts to address emerging health threats linked to Climate Change. The conference is running from November 27 to December 1, 2023 under the theme, “Breaking Barriers: Repositioning Africa in the Global Health Architecture.” The call to prioritise Climate Change comes at a time the continent is reeling from Climate Change induced health challenges such as rapid…

UNAIDS Director Winnie Byanyima Ready To Interact With Media At ICASA

November 25, 2023December 10, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Renowned African feminist and UNAIDS Executive Director, Ms Winfred Byanyima is among tthe top dignitaries set to attend the International Conference on AIDS and SITs in Africa (ICSA) to be held in Harare from December 4 to 9, 2023. While Ms Byanyima is scheduled to speak at the ICASA, she has also set aside her diary to accommodate for interviews with media on Monday December, 4 2023, from 18.00 – 19.00 at HICC, Rainbow Towers Hotel, Room. At ICASA, Ms Byanyima is calling on governments, international organizations…