Tag: PUBLIC HEALTH

Domestic Health Financing To Be Top Of The Agenda For CPHIA 2025

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The tone has already been set for the hosting of the Fourth International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2025) scheduled for Durban, South Africa from October 22 to 25, 2025. The conference will deliberate on numerous issues, chief among them domestic health financing, as Africa seeks sustainable solutions amid dwindling donor support. The meeting will be held under the theme “Moving Towards Self-Reliance to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Health Security in Africa” and will be co-hosted by the Africa CDC and the Government of…

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Stunting Remains a Critical Challenge for Zimbabwe’s Children, Report Reveals

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa  Despite improvements in several food security and nutrition indicators, stunting rates among children under five in Zimbabwe remain alarmingly high, posing a significant threat to the nation’s human capital and long-term development, according to the recently released 2025 Rural Livelihoods Assessment Report. The report, produced by the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC), indicates that 23.8% of children aged 6-59 months are stunted. Stunting, defined as impaired growth and development due to poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation, has lifelong consequences for health, cognitive ability, and economic productivity.…

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United Nations Proposes Shutting Down UNAIDS In 2026

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  The United Nations (UN) agency focusing on the HIV/AIDS pandemic could close by the end of next year as the UN restructures in the face of a funding crisis, according to a UN document published online. UNAIDS will “sunset” by the end of 2026, the document published on Thursday reads, part of a set of proposals from the UN to member states which they will have to decide on. It adds that UNAIDS’ expertise should be shifted into the wider UN system in the following year. The…

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Zimbabwe Selected Among Ten Countries to Roll Out Breakthrough HIV Prevention Drug, Lenacapavir

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa  Zimbabwe has been selected as one of ten countries globally to roll out lenacapavir, a revolutionary new HIV prevention drug that is being hailed as a game-changer in the global fight against HIV. The announcement was made on the official U.S. Embassy Zimbabwe Facebook page, marking a historic milestone in the country’s decades-long battle to curb new HIV infections. Lenacapavir, developed by U.S.-based Gilead Sciences in partnership with the Global Fund, is the world’s first twice-yearly HIV prevention medicine. Clinical trial data shows that more than 99%…

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1 in 3 Zimbabwean Women Could Be Obese by 2030

Michael Gwarisa
An obese Zimbabwean woman standing outdoors, representing obesity trends in Zimbabwe. Data projects that 1 in 3 Zimbabwean women will be obese by 2030.

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is facing a rapidly escalating public health emergency as new projects indicate that 4.2 million adults will be overweight or obese by 2030 with women being the hardest hit group. An analysis of data from the 2025 World Obesity Atlas scoreboard shows that women are bearing the brunt of this epidemic, with their rates of obesity far surpassing those of men. The projections show a steady climb in high Body Mass Index (BMI) over the past two decades, a trend set to accelerate. By 2030, an…

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Study Uncovers Reservoirs of Antimicrobial Resistance in Food Processing Environments

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa A new study has identified food processing environments, particularly wastewater and sludge, as significant reservoirs for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, including several high-risk variants that pose a threat to human health. The research, led by Thorben Reiche from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), highlights the potential for these facilities to contribute to the environmental spread of AMR. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from NTNU and SINTEF Industry in Norway, alongside the University of Life Sciences in Iași, Romania, investigated the prevalence…

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Zimbabwe Moves to Finalize National Health Insurance Bill Ahead of Parliament

Kuda Pembere
Minister of Health Dr. Douglas Mombeshora shares a light moment with Dr. Ron Mhizha of the Eye Institute and Chrispen Dzingirai of Old Mutual Zimbabwe during the launch of free cataract eye clinics.

By Kudakwashe Pembere Anticipating the enactment of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme by year-end, efforts to finalize the NHI Bill are on course, with Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora confirming it will be sent to Parliament this month. After decades of consultation and research, Zimbabwe’s proposed NHI scheme is now closer to fruition. Dr. Mombeshora told a Health Partners Coordination meeting on Friday that the much-awaited scheme will help pool resources for the health sector. We meet at a time when we are driving ambitious reforms…

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Meet Dr. Dhodho: The Once Sickly Village Boy Who Transformed Rural Zimbabwe’s HIV Response

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa He wears many hats. Dr. Efison Dhodho is currently the Knowledge Manager for the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians, a dedicated researcher, and the Director for Strategic Information, Evaluation, Learning, and Information Technology Systems at the Organization for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID). Born into a family of 13 as the fifth child, Dr. Dhodho recalls how his fragile health as a child necessitated moving to live with his mother, a rural nurse in Mwenezi District, while his siblings stayed with their father, a teacher.…

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Public Health Association on the cards

Healthtimes

Delegates at the recently ended two-day inaugural Public Health Symposium held in Harare resolved to form an all-inclusive Public Health Association. The resolution was hailed by participants as an initiative which will advance public health agenda in Zimbabwe. Staff Reporter Addressing delegates at the symposium Mr. Adriel Badza a public Health enthusiast lamented the absence of an all-inclusive Public Health Association in the country. Gone are the days when health was a preserve of medical scientists and hospitals,” Badza said “in contemporary practice the field has broadened in recognition of…

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Zim Health Journalists Accomplish Public Health Course

Michael Gwarisa

THE first cohort of Zimbabwean health Journalists have successfully attained certificates in Public Health and Health Communication with one of the country’s leading Public Health training institutions, the Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH). By Michael Gwarisa A total 14 Health Journalists from different media houses, who are also members of the Health Communicators Forum in Zimbabwe (HCF) enrolled for the one week long course and covered an array of modules. Some of the courses covered include,  Introduction to Epidemiology, Health Financing, Health Systems, Human Resources, Primary Health Care Policies…

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