“Just two drops: This is what I didn’t have”: veteran polio activist Harold Kipchumba

Kipchumba, a former nominated Kenyan senator, has spent decades fighting for the vaccine he didn’t get.  22 October 2024 by Joseph Maina Growing up, Harold Kipchumba dreamed of joining the Kenyan army. In 1986, when he was 22, he showed up on crutches to a military recruitment workout and was turned down on sight: his disability…

Highlights From The Launch Event To Scale Up Life Saving Care For Children With Sickle Cell Disease in Uganda

On Monday, 28th October 2024, the Ministry of Health through its Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Unit rolled out the “Integrating and Scaling up Sickle Cell Disease Care in Primary Health Services” program in Kayunga district. This is in conjunction with Texas Children’s Global HOPE program and Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation-Uganda, Uganda National Health Laboratory…

Statement from TAG’s TB Project on Today’s WHO Global TB Report Release

October 29, 2024 — Treatment Action Group (TAG) is deeply concerned by the reported decrease in domestic funding for tuberculosis (TB) services announced today in the World Health Organization’s 2024 Global Tuberculosis Report. TB is the world’s top infectious disease killer, and ending TB requires adequate and sustained funding for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. Eighty…

Science Journalism Forum to Launch Hybrid Format for SJF25, Emphasizing Accessibility and Global Engagement

The Science Journalism Forum (SJF) has announced that its upcoming SJF25 will be held in a hybrid format, a decision that promises to enhance accessibility for participants worldwide. This pivotal change comes as SJF celebrates five years of fostering collaboration among science journalists across the globe. Since its establishment in 2020, SJF has rapidly evolved…

Mubende Regional Referral Hospital Acquires Emergency Operation Center

The Ministry of Health has established an Emergency Operation Center (EOC) at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital to enhance the region’s capacity to respond to public health threats and emergencies. The new Regional Public Health Emergency Operation Center (RPHEOC) will serve as a hub for coordination, resource mobilization, and information sharing, improving the region’s ability to…

Report: Children continue to be left behind in TB efforts

A new report released today by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), shows that children with tuberculosis (TB) continue to be left behind in the global effort to end the disease.  The report, TACTIC: Test, Avoid, Cure TB in Children, surveyed TB policy guidelines in 14 countries* with a high burden of TB, revealing that many countries lag behind in aligning…

Building Together: African Women’s Climate Assembly Forges a New Pathway to Climate Action Now

In October 2024, the coastal town of Saly, Senegal became the meeting point for two pivotal African climate justice gatherings—the 2024 Women’s Climate Assembly (WCA) and the African People’s Counter COP (APCC). These parallel events united a diverse group of activists, NGOs, leaders, and community women to tackle the pressing need for climate action across…

Tiny antibodies to fight the dangerous effects of opioids

Opioid drugs are highly effective at relieving pain but come with severe drawbacks. Their side effects range from dizziness to potentially fatal respiratory depression. Their illegal use contributes to nearly half a million deaths worldwide each year. Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have discovered a molecule, called nanobody NbE, which binds tightly and…

Hello, sunshine: how solar electricity transformed care at a remote Zimbabwean clinic

At off-grid Hakwata Clinic in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, women gave birth by candle-light and gas-powered fridges strained to keep vaccines cool. That all changed when a solar mini-grid was installed. 27 September 2024 by Farai Shawn Matiashe A 200kW solar mini-grid providing uninterrupted power to a clinic in Hakwata village in Chipinge, Zimbabwe. Credit: Farai Shawn…