Tag: WHO

A Billion Influenza Cases Recorded Every Year

Michael Gwarisa

EVEN through the deadly Influenza or Spanish Flu ended more than 100 years ago, the modern day strain of Influenza continues to impact negatively on the global health with indications that a billion cases of seasonal influenza continue to be recorded every year. By Michael Gwarisa In his speech to mark the Celebration of 70 years since GISRS (the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System) was formed, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director, Dr Tedros  Adhanom Ghebreyesus   said influenza is a serious global health problem that impacts all countries: Every year,…

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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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WHO Technical Advisory Team Warns That Omicron Reduces Vaccine Effectiveness…Calls For Development Of Stronger Vaccines

Michael Gwarisa

PRELIMINARY data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) shows that the mutational profile of the Omicron strain reduces vaccine effectiveness in symptomatic patients. By Michael Gwarisa The technical advisory team also called for the urgent development of COVID-19 vaccines that have high impact on prevention of infection and transmission, in addition to the prevention of severe disease and death, are needed and should be developed so as to reduce the need for booster doses. Until such vaccines are available, and as the…

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Delivering As One Post Cyclone Idai Devastation…The Road To Recovery For Cyclone Idai Survivors

Michael Gwarisa

PETER Mutisi, a Cyclone Idai survivor from Kopa, Chimanimani lost his wife, house and entire business empire to the disaster. For the past two years, he has been struggling to cope with the fact that all he had worked for and the person he loved the most disappeared right in front of his eyes and he couldn’t do anything about it. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Chimanimani “Everything happened so fast, we receive plenty of rainfall every year in these parts and on the fateful night, that is March 15,…

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WHO lists 9th COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use with aim to increase access to vaccination in lower-income countries

Healthtimes

THE World Health Organization issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for NVX-CoV2373, expanding the basket of WHO-validated vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine, named CovovaxTM, is produced by the Serum Institute of India under licence from Novavax and is part of the COVAX facility portfolio, giving a much-needed boost to ongoing efforts to vaccinate more people in lower-income countries. WHO’s EUL procedure assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and is a prerequisite for COVAX vaccine supply. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval…

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AMR In The Midst Of COVID-19: Are We In A Fix?

Michael Gwarisa

ACCORDING to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Antimicrobial resistance (AMR ) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. Antimicrobial resistance threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. By Michael Gwarisa As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. However, over the…

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Major Boost For Zimbabwe’s AMR Fight

Michael Gwarisa
AMR

ZIMBABWE has secured two flagship grants namely the Fleming Fund and Multi-Partner Trust Fund Grants to strengthen capacity through strengthening Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) detection and surveillance in the country. By Michael Gwarisa The two grants are being financed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands governments. The UK is financing the Fleming Fund grant which is worth over US$5 Million and is being implemented and led by the Food Agricultural Organization (FAO). Officiating at the launch of the two grants which also coincided with the commissioning of the National Microbiology…

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Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe Launches National Social Media Campaign

Michael Gwarisa

THE Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe, a country level initiative meant to scale up Tuberculosis (TB) case finding and treatment in various communities which include high TB burden settings, has launched a national social media campaign that will see TB champions, media and other key stakeholders raising awareness around the TB subject using various digital media platforms and media products. By Michael Gwarisa in Kadoma The campaign will result in the production of video TB Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material for distribution through celebrity platforms as well as other social…

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A Doctor with a heart of Gold

Michael Gwarisa

GUARDIAN angels come in many forms and for Nyasha Chripasi (17) from Saziya village who was born with a disability, her prayers were answered the day she met Dr Tapiwa Nyamangodo, the Clinical Supervisor for the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP) working the World Health Organisation in Chimanimani. By Michael Gwarisa Dr Nayamangodo has been leading a team of health and medical experts who were working under the ZIRP integrated health project where an array of services were being offered to Cyclone Idai survivors in Chimanimani district in Manicaland. Under…

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What We Know About The Omicron Variant So Far

Healthtimes

On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).  This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes. Here is a summary of what is currently known.   Current knowledge about Omicron  Researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron…

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