Category Archives: News

Religious Leaders Blamed for Hindering Efforts to Curb Teenage Pregnancies in Uganda

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…

Angling for better health for Burundi’s fishers and fishmongers

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…

Meet the African scientists fighting the spread of mpox

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…

Battling malaria, South Sudan anticipates roll-out of life-saving vaccines

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…

How will Cote d’Ivoire roll out the malaria vaccine?

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…

Everything you need to know about the brain-eating amoeba that’s killed three children in Kerala

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…

New Bereavement Care Service Launched for Families Grieving Terminal Illness Losses

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…

Reliance on Traditional Birth Attendants Drives High Obstetric Fistula Rates in Busoga, Say Gynecologists

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,…

West Nile Health Workers Benefit from New Electronic Recruitment Hub

Health workers in the West Nile region are sighing with relief following the commissioning of an electronic recruitment system hub for the sub-region. The facility, located at Arua Regional Referral Hospital’s Out Patients Department (OPD) in Arua city, is equipped with six computers, a printer, and a Wi-Fi router. While commissioning the facility on Wednesday,…

Groundbreaking Initiative Targets Illicit Health Products in Kenya and Uganda

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) of Kenya and the National Drug Authority (NDA) of Uganda announced a bilateral initiative involving participation from counterpart agencies in the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as multinational organizations and the regulated pharmaceutical industry, which aims to combat the illicit trade of health products…