Category: Opinion

Time For Zimbabwe To Rope In Community Civil Society Organisations In AMR Fight

Michael Gwarisa
AMR

THE world is fast sleep walking towards another deadly pandemic that could wipe out an entire civilisation if something is not done urgently. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) or the silent pandemic as many epidemiologist have dubbed it, is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity, exposing both humans and animals to catastrophic consequences. By Michael Gwarisa Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials or agents that kill microorganisms or stops their growth. Antibiotic resistance is a subset of AMR…

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The Way We Interact With Our Wildlife Now, Will Determine How We Deal With The Next Global Health Pandemic

Michael Gwarisa

THE world is still struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic which has had the global health sector on its toes since 2020 as scientists search for a solution to the prevailing health crises. The first case of the coronavirus strain or the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, a City in the Hubei province of China in December, 2019. By Michael Gwarisa More than two years after the first case was recorded, scientist and health experts are still looking into its origin. Even though the bulk of…

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Zim Gvt Makes Adjustments Over Who Can Self Quarantine At Home Or Institution

Michael Gwarisa

THERE was widespread panic and shock when President Emerson Mnangagwa and his deputy who is also the health and child care minister Dr Constantino Chiwenga announced that returning residents would be subjected to a mandatory 14 days quarantine at their own costs and mandatory PCR testing even after producing a negative PCR COVID. By Michael Gwarisa Government has since issued a Statutory Instrument (S.I) to that effect and the promulgations by the head of state and health minister are now law. The S.I is known as the S.I 267 of…

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Without Mandatory Vaccination, Will Zimbabwe Meet December Herd Immunity Target?

Michael Gwarisa

WHEN Zimbabwe launched its national COVID-19 vaccination drive in February this year, health and child care minister Dr Constantino Chiwenga announced that the target was to vaccinate at least 10 million Zimbabweans in order to attain herd immunity. Just recently, information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa told Journalists during g a post cabinet media briefing that government was still optimistic of reaching the herd immunity target by December. By Michael Gwarisa However, over the past seven months since commencement of the national vaccination initiative, a number of…

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RELATIONSHIPS: Dating The Important Step For Young People

Michael Gwarisa

Adolescence is a time that comes with its own challenges for young people and their parents or guardians. The young people have to negotiate carefully through the potential `landmines` that can detonate anytime during the adolescent years! By Fadzayi Maposah It is important to note that the mistakes that young people make in their adolescence can affect their future and also leave scars. Adolescence should be treated with a lot caution! It is a time to be enjoyed and celebrated by the young people and their parents and guardians. In…

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Relationships : The Family (Part 1)

Healthtimes

Relationships are the way which two or more people are connected. Young people are in many relationships. The relationships that young people have include family, friendships, dating and courtship. By Fadzayi Maposah Family is where young people start interaction with other people. Families come in various forms: the nuclear family made up of both parents, single parent families, child headed families and the extended family. These days the family is under a lot of reconstruction with many demands, strains and pressures upon it. The family, peers and the society play…

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Indian Variant Detected In Four People In South Africa, Here Is Why Zim Should Be On High Alert

Michael Gwarisa

BARELY a week after South Africa’s health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize assured his nation that they need not to worry about the highly virulent Indian variant, the triple mutant specie has been detected in at least four people in South Africa. By Michael Gwarisa The South African Department of Health confirmed that the variant dominant in India had been detected in South Africa yesterday while a further 11 people also tested positive for the variant first detected in the UK. The four people who tested positive have a history of…

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Zimbabwe Without Landmines: A Crucial Step Towards Development

Healthtimes

LYING dormant until triggered by a victim and intended to incapacitate, landmines maim civilians and render vast tracks of land unusable.  Mines and unexploded ordnance leave a terrible legacy of war, long after the guns have fallen silent.  Hidden from sight, they continue to kill and injure innocent civilians going about their daily lives, especially children.  Their very presence hinders development and prevents families and communities from being able to return to their land and rebuild.  Zimbabwe knows the long-lasting suffering that mines cause. By Brian A. Nichols and Niculin…

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#OPNION: Government Moves To Regulate Medical Aid Societies: This Doesn’t Sound Like A Very Brilliant Idea

Michael Gwarisa

GOVERNMENT recently announced that cabinet had deliberated and considered the submissions made on the Regulation of Medical Aid Space Societies as proposed in the Insurance and Pensions Commission Bill, which were presented by Vice President as Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga. By Michael Gwarisa According to information minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, they had realised that since medical aid societies were not for profit enterprises and represent members’ efforts to pool funds to assist in covering health bills and expenses, it was best international practice for such…

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Of Isolation and Substance and Drug Abuse In Zimdancehall… Addressing The Elephant in the Room

Michael Gwarisa

WE don’t know how far true it is but a certain individual who is an avid follower of the Zimdancehall movement in Zimbabwe once told us that whenever the late Zimbdancehall icon Saul “Saul Jah Love”  Musaka would chant “Television Tings!” “High Definition” in his songs, he would be indirectly referring to a drug called Mutoriro or Dombo which is the Zimbabwean version of Crystal meth which is made from a substance called Phosphorous that is extracted from disused Television sets and discarded fluorescent bulbs and mixed with other substances.…

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