Congo Ebola outbreak declared global health emergency
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo a “public health emergency of international concern”. The move may encourage wealthy donor countries to provide more cash. But the WHO stopped short of saying borders should be closed, saying the risk of the disease spreading outside the region was […]
‘More than three in 10’ in East Africa undernourished
The United Nations says the number of people going hungry has increased for the third year running. A report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the UN Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization, said reaching the target of zero hunger by 2030 is […]
How Africa’s porous borders make it difficult to contain Ebola
Mosoka Fallah, Harvard Medical School More than 2000 cases of Ebola have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since last August. Now, despite authorities’ efforts – such as screening millions of travellers moving between the DRC and its neighbours – the disease has spread. The World Health Organisation (HO) announced on […]
WHO: 1 Million STD Cases Diagnosed Every Day
More than 1 million people across the world are diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STI) every day, the World Health Organization said. In a study released Thursday, the U.N. health agency said 1 in every 25 people globally has at least one of four infections: chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis. Some people have more than […]
WHO: Mental Illness Widespread in Conflict Areas
VOA The World Health Organization said this week that one in five people living in conflict areas suffers from a mental illness, compared with one in 14 people in the general population globally. Findings from a new study indicate that the extent of the problem has been grossly underestimated. The United Nations has estimated that nearly […]
New Ebola Cases in Uganda Raise Fears of Spread Beyond Congo
 Uganda announced two more cases of Ebola on Wednesday a grandmother and a three-year-old boy confirming that a deadly outbreak has spread for the first time beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ugandan cases show the epidemic is entering a “truly frightening” phase and could kill many more people, one infectious disease specialist told […]
LENY: Vaccine will boost fight against malaria
Alberto Leny The selection of Kenya to participate in the pilot phase of the first malaria vaccine by the World Health Organisation (WHO) will go a long way in combating one Africa’s biggest disease burdens. Although preventable and curable, an estimated 429,000 people across the world die of malaria every year. The malaria vaccine has […]