Category Archives: Press Release

Education Cannot Wait Renews Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Uganda with US$25 Million in Catalytic Funding Investment; Calls on Donors to Scale-Up Support

In response to Africa’s largest refugee crisis, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) today announced US$25 million in catalytic funding to expand the Fund’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme, which continues to bridge the humanitarian-development nexus in Uganda. Total ECW funding in Uganda now tops US$75 million. The extended three-year programme will be delivered by Save the Children and…

Contracting a respiratory infection in early childhood associated with a higher risk of dying from the same as an adult, Lancet study finds

This first-of-its-kind study which spans eight decades suggests that, although the overall number of premature deaths from respiratory disease was small, people who had a LRTI, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, by the age of two were 93% more likely to die prematurely from respiratory disease as adults, regardless of socioeconomic background or smoking status.…

Kenya expands use of world’s first malaria vaccine in lake-endemic region

Kenya’s Ministry of Health announced that, starting on March 7, 2023, more children in the country will benefit from the added protection of the world’s first malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01 (or RTS,S). The malaria vaccine expansion follows the Kenya National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (KENITAG) recommendation for expansion within Kenya’s lake-endemic region and the 2021 World…

Study suggests dapivirine vaginal ring is safe to use as HIV prevention during breastfeeding

A monthly vaginal ring containing the antiretroviral drug dapivirine – an HIV prevention method that has been approved in several African countries and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) –appears to be safe when used during breastfeeding, suggest results of a Phase IIIb open-label study presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic…

Most comprehensive study to date provides evidence on natural immunity protection by COVID-19 variant and how protection fades over time

For someone previously infected with COVID-19, their risk of hospitalization or death is 88% lower for at least 10 months compared to those who had not been previously infected, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet.   The analysis also suggests that the level and duration of protection against reinfection, symptomatic…

No new COVID-19 variants have emerged during China’s recent outbreak, analysis of cases in Beijing suggests

No new COVID-19 variants have emerged in China during the recent surge in infections since the country ended its zero-COVID policy, according to an analysis of cases in Beijing. The study, published in The Lancet, suggests two existing Omicron sub-variants, BA.5.2 and BF.7 – among the most dominant variants in Beijing during 2022 – accounted…

Newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy leads to more children being able to walk at two years post diagnosis, new study suggests

Newborn screening (NBS) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), when combined with early treatment, results in better movement ability in affected children, including the ability to walk, when compared to children who are diagnosed once symptoms develop, suggests a new study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal. SMA is a rare, genetic neuromuscular…

CABI helping to implement the Plant Health Strategy for Africa

CABI is providing technical expertise to help the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council of the African Union (AU-IAPSC) implement the Plant Health Strategy for Africa with the ultimate aim of increasing the food security of the continent. Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), CABI’s regional centre for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, is working with…

WHO: Act now. Act together. Invest in neglected tropical diseases

Today, on World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day, the World Health Organisation has released a new progress report, entitled “Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2023” highlighting the progress and challenges in delivering NTD care worldwide, against a backdrop of COVID-19-related disruptions. In 2020, the World Health Assembly (WHA) endorsed the NTD road map for…

Managing emotions better could prevent pathological ageing

Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited?  Neuroscientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) observed the activation of the brains of young and older adults when confronted with the psychological suffering of others.   The…