Category Archives: Press Release

Mailing at-home HPV sampling kits nearly doubles cervical screening uptake among hard-to-reach populations, US clinical trial suggests

At-home high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) sampling kits can help increase cervical cancer screening among under-screened women from low-income backgrounds, according to findings from a US-based clinical trial published in The Lancet Public Health journal.  The trial shows mailing kits to low-income, under-screened women and helping them book an in-person clinic appointment led to a two-fold…

Taking a common diabetes medication after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 reduces risk of developing long COVID by 40%, study finds

Taking a two-week course of metformin, a safe and affordable diabetes medication after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 leads to 40% fewer long COVID diagnoses over the following 10 months, compared to individuals taking a placebo, finds a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.  The long-term symptoms some people experience after SARS-CoV-2 infection,…

WHO and the Global Fund announce commitment for enhanced collaboration

Today the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) signed a new and revised Strategic Framework for Collaboration, designed to build stronger and more resilient health systems and maximize collaboration and impact in support of country, regional and global responses to major communicable diseases. The…

10 million lives impacted by 9.4 Euros Aga Khan and EU funding across Eastern Africa Covid-19 response project

Over 10 million people across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique have been impacted by the 9.4 million euros funding through the Aga Khan Development Network Eastern Africa Regional COVID-19 Response Programme that is set to officially come to an end in June 2023. The project, which was officially launched in December 2020 and jointly funded by…

WHO declares Marburg Virus Disease outbreak in Tanzania over

Tanzania today declared the end of the Marburg Virus Disease outbreak which was confirmed just over two months ago in the north-western Kagera region. It was the country’s first outbreak of the disease. A total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were recorded in the outbreak which was declared on…

Fecal beads to act as the core of the intestinal microbiota for clostridioides difficile treatment

Clostridioides difficile infection causes severe diarrhea and is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. When it relapses, the disease must be treated by fecal microbiota transplantation. This treatment, which is administered via a nasogastric or colorectal tube, is very demanding. Now researchers at the University…

MSF warns of looming health catastrophe in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps

More funding is urgently needed to avert a looming health catastrophe in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps, warns international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) today. A cholera outbreak in the camps has affected 2,786 people so far and there is an imminent risk of outbreaks of other gastro-intestinal diseases, warns MSF, which is…

How the flu virus hacks our cells

Influenza epidemics, caused by influenza A or B viruses, result in acute respiratory infection. They kill half a million people worldwide every year. These viruses can also wreak havoc on animals, as in the case of avian flu. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified how the influenza A virus manages to penetrate cells to infect…

Europe must not abandon the quest for an effective HIV vaccine

On this HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, IAS – the International AIDS Society– calls for the re-engagement of all stakeholders, especially in Europe, in funding HIV vaccine research and development (R&D).  After more than 40 years since HIV was discovered, there have been breakthroughs in curbing acquisition through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral therapy (ART). However,…

Investing in safe surgery could cut costs and save lives in LMICs

Investing in developing systems of safe surgery to reduce Surgical Site Infection (SSI) will help to reduce the financial burden on health services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), a new study reveals. Analysing inpatient resource use in India, Ghana, Nigeria and Mexico, researchers discovered that additional investigations and hospital length of stay for a…