Ghana reports first-ever suspected cases of Marburg virus disease

Ghana has announced the preliminary finding of two cases of Marburg virus disease and if confirmed these would the first such infections recorded in the country according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease.  Preliminary analysis of…

WHO launches NTDs mentorship project in honour of Tanzania’s Dr Mwele Malecela

World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced plans to set up a mentorship programme for African women working in neglected tropical diseases programmes. The mentorship is in honour of the late Dr Mwele Malecela, who was one of Africa’s most highly respected female scientists and public health leaders. The mentorship programme will provide African women with leadership…

CHOGM: Rwanda and Bangladesh announce pact to champion mental health

The Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh and Rwanda have announced the Kigali-Dhaka Compact on Mental Health at a high-level dialogue held on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on 22 June. The event, which was held under the theme “Rethinking Mental Health: A Commonwealth Call to Empower, Care and Transform”, was hosted…

University of Rwanda implements project to access indoor air pollution

By RSIF The University of Rwanda’s Centre of Excellence on Internet of Things (IoT), Embedded Computing Systems with funding from the PASET Regional Scholarship’s competitive grants scheme, in close collaboration with a team from Makerere University is implementing a project to assess the levels of indoor air pollution in rural and urban communities in Rwanda.…

Understanding Vaccine Acceptance and Demand – Sabin Institute report

The Sabin Vaccine Institute released the Vaccine Acceptance Research Network 2022 (VARN2022) conference report: a synthesis of the discussions and research findings from global experts in anthropology, epidemiology, public health and medicine across the academia, government, civil society and other sectors, to share knowledge and set priorities at the intersection of immunization and social and…

UK Government supports procurement and installation of Oxygen Plant in Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital

The UK Government – through UNICEF – has procured a Pressure Swing Absorption Oxygen Plant in Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital, to increase the oxygen producing capacity of the 200-bed facility and other lower-level facilities in seven neighbouring districts in central Uganda. The Oxygen plant installed by UNICEF in February 2022 was today unveiled and officially…