Teachers and pupils at Murungu Public Primary School in Rubaya Sub County, Kabale District, are grappling with a severe sanitation crisis as they share a single toilet with community members and churchgoers. Located near the shores of Lake Bunyonyi, the school was established in 1999 and taken over by the government in 2000. Today, it…
Kitgum General Hospital has announced negative test results for two suspected MPOX cases, providing significant relief to the community and healthcare workers. Dr. Geoffrey Okello, Medical Superintendent of Kitgum General Hospital, confirmed that the Central Emergency Response and Surveillance Laboratory in Kampala released the results on Tuesday evening. The two individuals, members of the same…
The newly crowned Queens representing Gulu City have pledged to prioritize addressing the mental health crisis that is hindering the productivity of youth in Northern Uganda. On the night of December 20, 2024, at the Bomah Hotel, three top finalists emerged in a beauty pageant designed to promote the culture, tourism, and creativity of Gulu…
Despite efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) reveals that a significant number of mothers are still contracting the virus during pregnancy and breastfeeding, passing it on to their babies. Dr. Daniel Byamukama, who heads HIV prevention at UAC, stated that an assessment has shown that the majority of those…
On 20th December, the Government of Rwanda officially declared the end of the country’s first Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak, with no new cases reported over the past 42 days. This announcement follows the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol requiring two consecutive negative test results from the last confirmed patient to conclude an outbreak. The…
Two years after the Sudan Ebolavirus disrupted health systems in Uganda, killing 55 people, scientists in the region have started phase 2 trials on a new candidate vaccine. 19 December 2024 by John Agaba Dr Betty Mwesigwa was driving to the Makerere University Walter Reed Program (MUWRP) offices in Kampala in 2022, when a news alert…
7,700 Malawians died of tuberculosis in 2021 alone. Researchers, health officials and survivors hope a vaccine designed for adults could make all the difference. 19 December 2024 by Rabson Kondowe In December 2023, Amosi Kapoti suspected that something was terribly wrong with him. He had lost weight and developed a prolonged fever, and had been coughing…
Children in the region are worst-affected, and survivors report struggling with social stigma, but recent reports suggest spread may be plateauing. 11 December 2024 by Moses Havyarimana On the outskirts of Bujumbura, in a suburb called Kinama, 41-year-old mechanic Nyabuyoya Balthazar is tinkering with damaged cars while he recounts his recent brush with mpox, the viral…
At the 2024 Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF) in Nairobi, eHealth Africa (eHA) called for governments and stakeholders to address critical factors beyond technology to ensure the long-term success of digital health solutions across Africa. Emphasizing the importance of integrating cultural norms and community-specific needs into health interventions, the organization underscored that technology alone cannot…
By Esther Nakkazi At a press briefing today, Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya advised against using the term “Disease X” to describe an unexplained illness in Panzi, a remote area, located 700 km southeast of Kinshasa of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He stressed that the term should be reserved for confirmed novel…