While Uganda is battling with Ebola, another outbreak of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever is also here. 24 people have been placed under close monitoring by health authorities in Amuru District following an outbreak of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). The individuals are close contacts of a victim who succumbed to the viral disease late last…
Uganda is to benefit from a USD 5 million emergency fund provided by the World Health Organization to fight the spread of Ebola in the country and the neighbouring countries. So far, 39 people have died in Uganda, according to the Ministry of Health, while overall, there have been 64 confirmed cases and 20 probable…
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have designed a new bandage treatment, known as a scaffold, to treat diabetic foot ulcers, which is cost-effective while improving patient outcomes. Produced by 3D bioprinting, the scaffolds slowly release antibiotics over a four-week period to effectively treat the wound. Diabetes, a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar…
A new web app has been launched to make it super easy for journalists in Kenya and Uganda to find researchers for science stories. The Script Connect app is part of the Script science communication programme by SciDev.Net, funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation. It works like a ‘speed-dating’ app, linking journalists to scientists in…
To combat these deadly menaces, a professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is researching a state of relaxation that is integral to both insects and humans alike. Clément Vinauger, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, received a two-year $430,000 R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health to research the sleep habits…
This week’s podcast is Ebola outbreak hits Uganda. Uganda is experiencing its first outbreak in a decade. This bout of the deadly Ebola disease is caused by the Sudan virus. This was announced by relevant health authorities in September. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we find out more about the current outbreak in…
Some of the world’s leading experts on vaccines are discussing vaccine innovation at this year’s World Innovation Summit for Health, taking place in Doha, Qatar, in a hybrid format (physical and virtual attendance) on October 4-6, 2022. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at World Health Organization (WHO); Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of the International…
73 percent of Nigeria’s healthcare workers have stated that a lack of financial support will be one of the biggest threats to their national health system in the event of a new global health emergency in the next five years, a global survey has shown. The study, by YouGov on behalf of the World Innovation…
Current pressures due to poor funding, staff shortages, and inadequate preparation mean that health systems around the world are unfit to cope with another pandemic, an international survey to assess the effects of COVID-19 on health and care workers has revealed. 49 percent of healthcare professionals surveyed in countries including the UK, US, Saudi Arabia,…
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a ground-breaking plastic film that can kill viruses that land on its surface with room light. The self-sterilising film is the first of its kind – it is low cost to produce, can be readily scaled and could be used for disposable aprons, tablecloths, and curtains in hospitals.…