Author Archives: Health Journalists Network Uganda

New CCHF Case Detected Amidst Persistent Surveillance Reporting Gaps and Significant Maternal & Perinatal Deaths

This edition of Uganda’s weekly epidemiological bulletin provides a comprehensive overview of public health events and surveillance activities for Week 32, covering 04th – 10th August 2025. Published by the Ministry of Health, this bulletin aims to keep all stakeholders informed about suspected disease trends, public health surveillance, and the interventions undertaken for detection, prevention,…

World Mosquito Day 2025: Investing in African-Led Innovation, Trust, and Talent to Defeat Malaria

As World Mosquito Day approaches on August 20th, a resounding call is being made for renewed investment in the essential elements needed to combat malaria: people, partnerships, and innovation.This plea comes as malaria continues to claim over half a million African lives annually, disproportionately affecting young children. Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium, stands at…

“Meningitis was a death sentence”: Cameroon’s health workers look back on the pre-vaccine era

It’s been 14 years since MenAfriVac “transformed” life on the frontlines for nurses Nfor Emmanuel and Fumbui née Kuo Helen. 13 August 2025 by Akem Olives Nkwain Cameroon’s North, Far North and Northwest regions lie within the African meningitis belt – a zone stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia that has long endured recurrent and devastating…

What is the cholera vaccine stockpile?

Cholera, fast and deadly, is resurgent. But countries facing epidemic crisis can call for emergency deliveries of vaccine doses from a global stockpile – and those doses are protecting tens of millions of people a year. 30 April 2025 by Gavi Staff Janet Maloba, 27, holds her son as he receives the Oral Cholera Vaccine…

Diabetes:UMA TESO TALK SUMMARY

The story begins with a fundamental understanding: diabetes is not a single disease. It presents a vast and diverse landscape of “pathogenetic ways” or paths, making a precise diagnosis paramount. This precision is not just academic; it’s essential because it directly defines the management strategy and, consequently, the outcomes for patients. When a patient arrives,…

In Kenya, a decade of rotavirus vaccination translates to a drop in childhood mortality

Not only are fewer children being hospitalised with severe diarrhoea, but the vaccine’s evident impact is boosting confidence in immunisation generally, experts say. 4 August 2025 by Joseph Maina Kihoto, a densely packed settlement hugging the banks of Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley, has become a living argument for rotavirus vaccination. Here, in this…

Uganda’s Health Watch: Epidemiological Bulletin Reveals Disease Surveillance and Public Health Challenges

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has released its weekly epidemiological bulletin for Week 30, covering July 21st to July 27th, 2025, providing a crucial snapshot of disease trends, public health surveillance efforts, and interventions across the nation. The bulletin serves to inform all stakeholders from community to national levels on suspected disease trends, public health surveillance,…

Gates Foundation announces $2.5 billion for Women Health

The Gates Foundation has announced a $2.5 billion commitment through 2030 to accelerate research and development (R&D) focused exclusively on women’s health. It will support the advancement of more than 40 innovations in five critical, chronically underfunded areas—particularly those affecting women in low- and middle-income countries. “For too long, women have suffered from health conditions…

Ugandan Scientist Krystal Birungi contributes to global book;Hope for Life on Our Planet and calls for a malaria-free future

Krystal Birungi, an Ugandan scientist and Research and Outreach Associate at Target Malaria Uganda, contributed to a new book, bringing together the reflection of global voices on the notion of hope. Edited by Norwegian entrepreneur Osvald Bjelland and titled “Hope for Life on Our Planet: Inspiration for Seven Generations”, the collection features essays and reflections…

Love Heals what shame tried to hide

Three-year-old Armane from rural Madagascar can now smile without shame, thanks to a life-changing cleft lip surgery provided by international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org). For his mother, Roseline, the day of Armane’s birth was filled with both relief and fear. After a long and difficult labor in a remote rice field, she was handed her…