HIV response: Zvimba District on course to meet targets

By Elvis Dumba Nyabira – Zvimba District in Mashonaland West Province with a population of 26 614 people living with HIV has made major strides in HIV response programs. Speaking during World Aids Day commemorations held in Nyabira recently, Zvimba District Development Coordinator, Desmond Anele Gumbochuma, said the district’s target of ensuring that 95% of…

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COVID-19 burden lessens in Africa, vigilance crucial as year-end season begins

While Africa is witnessing its lowest level of new COVID-19 cases since the onset of the pandemic, a recent four-week rise—the first such sustained increase in four months—underscores the criticality of maintaining vigilance as the end-year holiday seasons sets in. The continent recorded a four-week-long rise until 20 November, but the number of new cases…

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Macky Sall leads fight against declining immunisation for Polio eradication

In recognition that immunization is a global health and development success story, saving millions of lives each year, His Excellency President Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chair of the African Union, today invited fellow African Heads of State, international agency representatives, public health leaders and civil society to join him…

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Worldwide TB R&D Funding Surpasses US$1 Billion, But Falls Short of Goals

For the first time in history, funding for tuberculosis (TB) research and development (R&D) hit a billion dollars worldwide in 2021. This marked a significant milestone that nonetheless falls significantly short of what’s needed to stay on track to end TB, according to a new report released today by Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the Stop TB…

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Living Digital: Strengthening Consumer-Powered Healthcare in Zimbabwe

Population Solutions for Health There is no denying that consumers are becoming digital natives. For more than two decades Population Services International Zimbabwe (PSI), now Population Solutions for Health (PSH) has been strengthening healthcare in Zimbabwe towards a new future. PSH with support from PSI Digital Health Monitoring Team, recognize that consumers continue to evolve…

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Africa’s advances in maternal, infant mortality face setbacks: WHO report

A slowdown in the progress made during the past decade against maternal and infant mortality is projected in the African region, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today finds. The Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022  assessed the nine targets related to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on health and found that at the current…

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AU ropes PAP into Nigeria Pre-election Assessment and Special Political Mission

The African Union (AU) has resolved to harness the Pan-African African Parliament (PAP)’s unique value proposition as a representation of the African citizens, in its bid to consolidate democratic gains for peace and stability in Africa. H.E Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of Africa’s premier parliamentary forum was solicited by the Department of Political Affairs,…

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Whole Grain Impact on Global Food Security

By David Kamau and Peiman Milani   The world is facing a global food crisis like none other, with food prices at historic highs, supply chains disrupted by war and disease, and climate change threatening harvests in virtually all geographies. Global food insecurity is rising so rapidly that hunger pushes one child per minute into severe malnutrition and in 2021, up to 828…

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Address drivers of child marriages and sexual exploitation: ZGC urges stakeholders

By Hillary Munedzi The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) is urging stakeholders to address the drivers of child marriages and sexual exploitation, among them cultural and religious norms, poverty, and the unavailability of sanitary wear. Speaking during a press conference in Harare recently on the preliminary findings of the national inquiry on sexual exploitation and abuse…

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Miserior donates Land Cruiser vehicle to ZPHCA for increased mobility

The Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) Coordinator, Mrs. Theresa Makwara expressed her gratitude to Miserior for donating a Land Cruiser vehicle to the organisation for the purpose of increasing mobility. The organization is now expanding to reach out to children with disabilities and their parents in far rural remote communities in Zimbabwe in…

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Put communities at the heart of research: VP Chiwenga

Reducing health disparities requires a complex system approach that puts communities at the heart of everything we do, including research, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Constantino Chiwenga has said. He made the remarks today at the Health Research Forum hosted by the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ) in Harare…

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ZPHCA spearheading care work to advance rights of children with disabilities

Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) is running the project “Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children with Disabilities” with a view to helping parents to understand care work and appreciate what children with disabilities (CWDs) need for proper development. Addressing participants at a workshop on caregiving in Waterfalls in Harare yesterday, Theresa Makwara,…

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Sally Mugabe Hospital records impressive HIV response

Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, Zimbabwe’s biggest referral hospital with a 350-bed capacity, is recording an impressive HIV response, a tour of the facility’s opportunistic infections department has revealed. Speaking to journalists during the National AIDS Council (NAC) organised tour of the health facility, Dr. Steady Matokwe, the Medical Officer for Sally Mugabe Central Hospital Opportunistic…

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UN, stakeholders mark 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

The United Nations (UN) yesterday joined other stakeholders to mark the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against gender-based violence. In his address to the press in Harare yesterday, Mr. Edward Kallon, the UN Zimbabwe Resident Coordinator alluded to the fact that the UN Secretary-General has galvanized the UN system, Member States, and other actors…

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Policy and financing for health, wellbeing of 8 billion people pertinent

As the world marks the arrival of its 8 billionth citizen, the largest generation of young people in history calls for change …A rising global movement of 1.8 billion young people calls for greater attention to policy and financing for their health and well-being World population officially topped 8 billion this week, as the largest generation of young…

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Scientists Say A Recommendation from WHO Would Save Newborns

The OPTIMMUNIZE 2022 conference in Denmark gave researchers a chance to present groundbreaking findings that would save newborns. Before the meeting, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus opened the conference and spoke about how the infant mortality rate has more than halved globally since 1990 but newborn mortality has not kept pace. In 2020, 2.4 million…

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Cimas iGo half-marathon raises awareness of men’s health issues

Cimas Health Group is marking Men’s Health Awareness Month by offering Cimas members prostate cancer screening at all its clinics throughout November, broadcasting a prostate cancer talk show on Friday (November 18) and holding an iGo Movember Half-Marathon on November 26. The month of November was first dubbed Movember in 2003 in Australia when men…

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Pan African Parliament, AUDA-NEPAD pushing for continent’s food and nutrition security

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is pushing legislation toward the promotion of food and nutrition security on the continent as evidenced by a model law on the theme that it tabled during the first session of its sixth Parliament in Midrand, South Africa while the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) is leading the awareness of the…

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Stakeholders converge for NetOne Albinism Fun and Talent Day 2022

Stakeholders from all walks of life gathered in the Midlands Province on Saturday for the highly subscribed NetOne Albinism Fun and Talent Day 2022 which was meant to spotlight the need for collaboration in ameliorating challenges faced by people with albinism. In remarks by the Netone Head of Marketing and Public Relations, Ms. Roselyn Chisveto,…

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Improve educational access for health professionals, people with diabetes: Setfree Mafukidze

Human rights campaigner, Setfree Mafukidze has written a letter to Vice President, Retired General Dr. Constantine Chiwenga urging him to take steps to improve access to the best possible diabetes education for health professionals and people living with diabetes in Zimbabwe.   Below, Spiked Online Media reproduces the letter to VP Chiwenga: Dear Vice President…

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Unsung community heroines at the centre of COVID-19 response

Community-based organisations and individuals living among the public played a critical role in ameliorating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this installment, Spiked Online Media casts a spotlight on these champions. Kumbirai Mahaso, an activist in the HIV sector She carries the Batanai HIV Aids Support Organisation, (BHASO)  legacy. Born in Masvingo, Mahaso is…

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Celebrating COVID-19 response’s media unsung heroines in Zimbabwe

By Catherine Murombedzi The Zimbabwe Covid-19 response would be incomplete without mentioning the media, an integral part of the correct communication channel and the bridge for the information divide. With myths and misconceptions rife, set to derail the Covid-19 response, the media rose to the occasion by dispelling infodemics. Misinformation became a pandemic that required…

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Campaigners call on Zimbabwe to adopt landmark disability law

Zimbabwe is on the cusp of becoming the first Southern African country to ratify the African Disability Protocol (ADP) but action is needed to push it across the finish line. This is why today (October 29), Sightsavers’ Equal World Campaign, in partnership with the African Union and the African Disability Forum, is urging governments and…

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Celebrating COVID-19 response unsung heroines: Part 2

By Catherine Murombedzi The COVID-19 response was quite immense and as we continue to celebrate unsung heroines, we spotlight healthcare workers whose contributions made a positive impact. Dr Harunavamwe N Chifamba, Specialist Anaesthetist Intensivist and Clinical Epidemiologist “For some must watch, while others must sleep,” that’s Dr Harunavamwe’s space in Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. She…

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Mobile tax should fund SRHR: Parliamentary Caucus

By Nhau Mangirazi The Women Parliament Caucus (ZWPC) has recommended the mobilization of resources towards the sexual and reproductive health rights affecting women and girls in most marginalized communities. ZWPC chairperson, Hon Goodluck Kwaramba made the presentation last week during a prebudget seminar saying the proportion of the 5 percent mobile airtime levy, introduced in…

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Women’s Parliamentary Caucus urges Mthuli Ncube to help on water issues

By Nhau Mangirazi The Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus has urged finance minister Prof Mthuli Ncube to set aside money to improve water and sanitation in mostly rural and marginalized communities. The parliament caucus chairperson, Hon Goodluck Kwaramba made the presentation last week calling on Prof Ncube to consider setting aside funds that will help improve…

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Ending AIDS by 2030: ICASA to focus on other epidemics, morbidities

Dr. David Parirenyatwa, the President of the Society for AIDS in Africa has said that the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) 2023 will focus on other epidemics and morbidities like cancer TB, malaria, and other emerging pandemics including COVID-19. He made the remarks at a Harare hotel today during the official…

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Deal with GBV perpetrators: Girls Collective

BY Nhau Mangirazi Girls Collective – a civil society coalition fighting for girls’ rights and justice has called on the government to deal with perpetrators of violence against girls. In a statement following the death of Nokutenda Hwaramba (15) who died while giving birth at a shrine in Bikita, the umbrella body says suspects must…

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Regional symposium tackles SRHR, teen pregnancy and HIV

A regional symposium underway in Zimbabwe’s resort city of Victoria Falls has seen stakeholders gathering to chart the way forward in ending teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, and HIV infections in East and Southern Africa. While significant progress has been witnessed in strengthening SRHR outcomes in the region, girls and young women and key populations remain…

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