Health
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Zimbabwe Hosts the World AMR Awareness Week 2023, 18-24th November 2023
The Quadripartite partners consisting of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), in partnership with African Union agencies, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and African Union Inter-African Bureau for…
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Rio Zim improving mine workers’ wellbeing
Writes Rebecca Munetsi ‘These herbs you are showing us here, are for women (lavender, mint, and rosemary). You should have brought strong herbs for men like us. It is a male-dominated workspace here,” says one miner who visited the Community Capacity Initiative Center For Africa (CCBICA) Stand during the Rio Zim Mine Wellness Week. The…
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Combating NTDs: vaccination remains key
Writes Lovemore Chazingwa (Health Reporter) Empirical medical evidence has proved that mass drug administration is among the key ways to combat infection and possible death from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This is opposed to seeking treatment after infection, which requires huge financial outlays, normally out of reach among impoverished citizens. Mass drug administration remains cardinal…
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Nurses to perform surgery on trachoma trichiasis
Writes Lovemore Chazingwa (Health Reporter) A total twenty-two registered general nurses have attained qualification to perform surgery on trachoma trichiasis, one of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) prevalent in the country, a media training workshop has heard. These nurses were trained in 2016 after the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), through the National Institute…
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Local NGO makes an impact in fighting TB in rural mining communities
Staff Writer In the heart of Zimbabwe’s mining districts of Mudzi and Mutoko, a remarkable initiative led by the Disaster and Environmental Management Trust (DEMT) is reshaping the landscape of tuberculosis (TB) control. With support from the Stop TB Partnership hosted by UNOPS, under the Challenge Facility for Civil Society Grants, this youth-led organization is…
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Legislation should uphold SRHR: Katswe Sistahood
There is a need for legislation that ensures that sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) are upheld, Katswe Sisthood has said. This came to the fore at a meeting to present the SRHR context to the Members of the Parliament’s Thematic Committees on 7 November 2023 in Harare. Talent Jumo, the Director of Katswe Sistahood painted…
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Need for increased TB investment: DEMT
Staff Writer The Disaster and Environmental Management Trust (DEMT) recently attended the UN High-Level Meeting on TB 2023 in New York which gave the organization the opportunity to directly interact with the Zimbabwe Country Delegation and reiterated the need for increased TB investments and national budget allocation for national TB response. This comes as TB…
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Baobab Collection throws a lifeline to communities in drier parts of Manicaland
Writes Tafadzwa Muranganwa A visit to a son-in-law in Birchenough a few years ago is all that led Aaron Chenjerai Mazorere of Chiadzwa to start the collection of the baobab fruit. He prides himself on initiating the project in his home area which has attracted a lot of interest from fellow villagers. “Some years back…
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Initiatives to enhance food systems in Africa gain momentum
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – The vision towards enhancing food systems in Africa is gaining momentum as the continent is positioning itself and giving food and nutrition the necessary attention. This came to the fore at the 14th commemoration of the Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) and the 19th CAADP Partnership Platform (CAADP PP)…
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Accelerated implementation of CAADP to improve African food and nutrition security
There is an urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a continental framework for agricultural transformation and agriculture-led growth strategy to achieve ambitious targets on food and nutrition security as outlined in the Malabo Declaration. These were sentiments by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)’s Director of Agriculture,…
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CAADP PP, ADFNS to promote intra-Africa agri-food trade and improved nutrition
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – The 14th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) Commemoration and the 19th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) running from the 30th of October to the 2nd of November 2023 in Lusaka, Zambia will ensure cross-fertilization and provide a platform for sharing experiences and lessons and discussing…
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Call for eye health to be recognised as vital part of healthcare and development
This World Sight Day (12 October), international development organisation Sightsavers is calling on global leaders to end the geographical inequity of eye health services. Everyone, including remote and rural communities, women and girls, and people with disabilities, should have access to the services they need. Yet the availability of eye health services and products like…
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Only 7 African countries commercially grow genetically engineered crops
Here’s a blueprint to unlock the continent’s enormous farm and food potential The African continent has been home to genetically modified (GM) crops for more than 26 years, beginning in 1996 when insect-resistant GM maize was commercialized in South Africa. Since then, several GM crops have been developed on the continent, including cotton, cowpea, soybean,…
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Fall Wellness in a Nutshell: 7 Smart Snacking Choices This Season
OWN CORRESPONDENT During fall, Mother Nature offers nutty treasures, each brimming with goodness. In this quick guide, dietitians from Health Reporter explore the nutritional benefits of 7 nuts, unraveling why they’re the snack stars of the season. When leaves crunch underfoot, why not add a crunch to your diet? #1 Cashews Cold air, meet the…
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Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe takes stance against drug abuse
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is committed to protecting public and animal health through its regulatory functions. As part of this mandate, MCAZ recognizes the urgent need to combat drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe. Drug abuse is a complex issue that affects individuals, families, and communities across Zimbabwe. It poses serious threats…
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MSF welcomes J&J’s decision to not enforce unnecessary patents on key TB drug
After years of advocacy to increase access to the lifesaving tuberculosis (TB) drug bedaquiline, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomes Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) announcement to drop its secondary patents on the medicine. This decision means additional drugmakers will be allowed to make more affordable generic versions of the drug for people in low-…
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Prof. Eyal Leshem encourages harm reduction from respiratory, food-borne diseases
Prof. Eyal Leshem, the Director of the Institute for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel has encouraged harm reduction from respiratory and food-borne infectious diseases. He made the remarks at the just-ended Health Harm Reduction Conference that was held in Marrakech, Morocco from 27 to 29 September 2023. “Foodborne…
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National Seed Fair breathes life into long-lost millet varieties
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By Lloyd Rabaya As the Green Stars traditional dance group was dishing out their transcendent performance of the Mbakumba dance, the unmitigated crowd’s cheerful plaudits with the golden dust going straight to the skies marked the permanent return of a lost hope. Since time immemorial in Zimbabwe, different occasions called for different dances, which vary…
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Africa, global south should act now on disaster risks reduction
Dr. Tendai Mhizha, the Secretary-General of the Health Harm Reduction Conference has urged the Global South, with a particular focus on the African continent, to take appropriate action to address challenges hindering sustainable development. She made the remarks during the second edition of the African and first edition of the South-South Health Harm Reduction Conference…
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Disaster preparedness key in addressing health emergencies
Healthcare systems should prepare proactively in cases of natural disasters, Dr. Katlego Mothudi, the Managing Director at the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa (BHF) has said. He made the remarks today during the second edition of the African Conference on Risk Reduction that is taking place from September 27 to 29, 2023, in…
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Ban smoking and vaping in school to protect young people
Own Correspondent Geneva — Yesterday, the World Health Organization released two new publications, “Freedom from tobacco and nicotine: guide for schools,” and “Nicotine- and tobacco-free school toolkit” to help protect children’s health just in time for back-to-school season in many countries. The tobacco industry relentlessly targets young people with tobacco and nicotine products resulting in…
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Action needed for UN commitments on TB testing, treatment: MSF
OWN CORRESPONDENT NEW YORK/GENEVA, SEPTEMBER 22, 2023—The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomes leaders’ signing of a political declaration today on tuberculosis (TB) during the United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on TB. In this declaration, world leaders committed to ramp up TB testing, treatment, and prevention efforts—for both adults and…
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WHO appoints Chido Mpemba to its Social Connection Commission
Writes Reginald Tapfumanei Chido Mpemba, who currently serves as the youngest diplomat in the African Union Chairperson’s Cabinet, has been appointed as a Commissioner and co-chair of the Social Connection Commission by the World Health Organization (WHO) The Commission will have its Secretariat housed at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland, running under a three-year…
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Open letter to President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Writes Itai Rusike (Executive Director of Community Working Group on Health) Now that the elections are over, the people of Zimbabwe expect the fulfilment of the election manifesto, in which you promised massive improvement in health infrastructure; more health personnel; accessible and affordable medicines; free medical care for cancer patients; at least one hospital per…
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Power sharing resolves Zimbabwe’s political logjam
Writes Linda Tsungirirai Masarira (LEAD President) As a political party that was involved in the Zimbabwean 2023 elections, LEAD proposes that since the elections stand disputed the only way forward is an all-inclusive power-sharing arrangement. The LEAD proposed Power-sharing arrangement aims to reduce the risk of continued political polarisation and the possibility of civil conflict…
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EU Election Observation Mission pours cold water on Zimbabwe’s elections
“The legal framework could provide an adequate basis to conduct elections in line with international standards espoused by Zimbabwe, if implemented properly. However, the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) concludes that curtailed rights and lack of level playing field led to an environment that was not always conducive to voters making a free and…
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MSF refuses to sign ViiV’s NDA for access to lifesaving HIV prevention drug
CORRESPONDENT NEW YORK/GENEVA, AUGUST 17, 2023—Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is asking today for the removal of last-minute terms that ViiV Healthcare has added to an agreement to procure the injectable HIV prevention drug long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for use in MSF projects. These unacceptable conditions include a confidentiality clause akin to a Non-Disclosure Agreement…