Tag: SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa, Malawi Among African Countries Recording High drug-resistant gonorrhoea cases

Healthtimes

By Staff Reporter The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a renewed warning about the rapid rise of drug-resistant gonorrhoea, calling it a growing global threat that demands urgent action. The alert follows the release of new findings from the Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), which has tracked resistance patterns since 2015 and now reports sharp increases in resistance to key antibiotics. The data release coincides with World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025, underscoring the global significance of the threat. According to the latest EGASP report, resistance to the…

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NSSA Partners Tshiamiso Trust to Support Ex-Mineworkers Affected by Silicosis and TB

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tshiamiso Trust to pave the way for the compensation of former mineworkers in South African mines who suffered permanent lung damage due to silicosis and those who contracted work-related tuberculosis (TB). The MoU formalises cooperation between the Government of Zimbabwe, through the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), and Tshiamiso Trust to ensure access to compensation for eligible former mineworkers and their dependents. Following a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, Baines Occupational Health Services was appointed in November…

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Global Fund Appeals for Support Ahead of 8th Replenishment, Calls for African Ownership of HIV Programs

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Durban The Global Fund last night took to the platform at the ongoing 4th CPHIA Conference in Durban, South Africa, to call for support towards the 8th Replenishment, aimed at strengthening HIV programs amid shrinking donor support. The Global Fund’s 8th Replenishment is a campaign launched in 2025 to raise 18 billion US dollars to fight HIV, TB, and malaria between 2027 and 2029. The 8th cycle aims to save 23 million lives, avert 400 million infections, reduce mortality by 64% compared to 2023, and strengthen…

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South African court rules that men can take wife’s surname

Healthtimes

South Africa’s highest court has ruled that husbands can take the surname of their wives, overturning a law that barred them from doing so. In a victory for two couples who brought the case, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law amounted to gender-based discrimination. Henry van der Merwe was denied the right to take the surname of his wife Jana Jordaan, while Andreas Nicolas Bornman could not hyphenate his surname to include Donnelly, the surname of his wife, Jess Donnelly-Bornman, the public broadcaster, SABC, reports. Parliament will now have…

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Gilead’s Secrecy Over HIV Prevention Shot Sparks Global Outrage

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Gilead Sciences has come under fire after announcing a secretive deal to supply its long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir (LEN-LA), to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The agreement—shrouded in indefinite price secrecy—has been widely condemned by civil society organisations, health advocates, and global health experts who warn it undermines transparency, accountability, and equitable access. The Global Fund, financed by public money, has invited nine African countries—South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria—to participate in the agreement. However, the…

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Zimbabwe Among 17 African Nations to Receive WHO and Africa CDC Support for Targeted Mpox Vaccine Rollout

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has been selected as one of 17 African countries to receive targeted support for mpox vaccine development, a major initiative spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The initiative aims to bolster vaccine preparedness and deployment efforts across the continent, with a focus on effectively reaching populations most at risk of mpox. Other countries benefiting from this support include Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia,…

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Regional Progress Review Meeting for Scaled Up Peer-Led HIV Service Delivery Model Kicks Off In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Thirteen African countries are in Zimbabwe for a three-day consultation meeting to deliberate on the progress and gaps in the scaled-up Zvandiri peer provider model toward ending AIDS in children and adolescents. Zvandiri is implementing the Zvandiri model in Zimbabwe in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC). The program is a comprehensive, peer-led program focused on children, adolescents, and young adults living with HIV aged 0-24. The peers, known as community adolescent treatment supporters (CATS), are people living with HIV (PLHIV) aged 18–24…

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WHO preps 44 Zim government officials to deal with SA ZEP returnees’ mental health

Kuda Pembere

FORTY-four government officials received mental health and psychosocial support training from the World Health Organization ahead of the return of about 180 000 returnees from South Africa who had Zimbabwe Exemption Permits. By Kudakwashe Pembere With the deadline for the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits expiry looming, mental health disorders such as depression and even drug and substance abuse among others are anticipated. Zimbabweans reportedly make up South Africa’s largest group of immigrants, with about 800,000 living in the country, many for decades but not all of them legally and doing low…

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Media, a critical partner in ending TB

Healthtimes

A THIRD of tuberculosis (TB) infections in Southern Africa are linked to mining activities and recent studies estimate that 3 to 7 percent of miners are becoming ill with TB each year (TIMS Epidemiological Study,2012). Health Times Reporter in Johannesburg, South Africa To address these challenges, media practitioners from 12 SADC member countries converged yesterday, 27 April 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa for a two-days capacity building workshop to enhance informed reporting on TB-related issues including TB in the mining sector at the invitation of the East, Central and Southern…

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Zim on cholera high alert: Health Ministry

Kuda Pembere

With some Zimbabweans dreading a rebound of a cholera epidemic, a senior Ministry of Health and Child Care official has allayed the fears saying there are no cases in the country yet noting they are on high alert. By Kudakwashe Pembere The country was hit twice by the epidemic which was reported first in Glen View and Budiriro high density suburbs. Zimbabwe got affected by Cholera in 2008 which saw many mortalities and 2008 with low mortality rates but the disease was severe due to antimicrobial resistance. Malawi is currently…

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