Schizophrenia, which affects up to 1% of the population, is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by multiple symptoms. One of the most common, and for which there is no treatment, is apathy and lack of motivation. By comparing neural activation between a group of patients and a control group during a reward-based game, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE)…
High-protein diets, known as ‘‘Paleolithic diets’’, are popular. Using mouse models, scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have studied their impact. While effective in regulating weight and stabilizing diabetes, these diets are not without risks. Excess protein greatly increases ammonium production, overwhelming the liver. Excess ammonium can cause neurological disorders and, in severe cases, lead to coma. These results, published…
Stakeholders from civil society organizations, politicians, and the medical fraternity have criticized religious leaders for hindering campaigns aimed at reducing rampant teenage pregnancies in Uganda. This criticism was voiced during the Kigezi Regional Dialogue on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, organized by the Non-Governmental Organization Local Sustainable Communities (LOSCO) at White Horse Inn, Kabale. Kabale District…
A government project is extending access to prevention and treatment for a “forgotten” Great Lakes community. 5 July 2024 by Moses Havyarimana It’s a Saturday morning in Rumonge province in Burundi, and the waves of Lake Tanganyika are calm as the sun rises behind the mountains to the east. The fishing site is quiet: this…
Professor Dimie Ogoina was among the first to raise the alarm as mpox spread through Nigeria’s cities in 2017. VaccinesWork spoke to him and the DRC researchers tackling the latest outbreak. 17 July 2024 by Wealth Okete Until 2017, Professor Dimie Ogoina’s experiences with mpox were strictly theoretical. But all that would change in September of…
As South Sudan prepares to deploy a new weapon in its fight against malaria, the R21 vaccine, Winnie Cirino surveys the parasitic disease’s foothold. 16 July 2024 by Winnie Cirino “Almost 70% of the patients we treat in the hospital nowadays are mainly malaria victims,” says Dr Jak Gatluak, head of Accident and Emergency at Juba…
Yesterday, Côte d’Ivoire made history by becoming the first country to introduce the R21 malaria vaccine into its routine immunisation programme. We spoke to the country’s EPI Director to find out how they plan to roll out this lifesaver. 16 July 2024 by Assa Samaké-Roman Dr Yao Kassia, Deputy Director of the Expanded Program on…
Although deaths from amoebic meningoencephalitis are rare, they could become more common because of climate change. 18 July 2024 By Linda Geddes After three children in Kerala, India, died, and a fourth was infected, the “brain-eating amoeba” Naegleria fowleri is back in the spotlight. Each year, sporadic cases are reported in hot and humid areas of…
Families grieving for relatives who succumbed to terminal illnesses can benefit from a new grief and bereavement care service being piloted by palliative care providers. Iddi Matovu, a Public Health Specialist at Kitovu Mobile in Masaka, explained that they embarked on research to support caregivers and relatives after realizing many suffer profound agony and sometimes…
Gynecologists have raised concerns that reliance on traditional birth attendants (TBAs) is significantly contributing to the high incidence of obstetric fistula in the Busoga region. Obstetric fistula is an abnormal opening between a woman’s genital tract and her urinary tract or rectum, typically caused by prolonged, obstructed labor. This condition often leaves women leaking urine,…