‘Nutritional quality must be at the heart of climate smart agriculture’ — researchers
Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa need to diversify away from growing maize and switch to crops that are resilient to climate change and supply key micronutrients for the population, say researchers. Maize is a staple crop across the region where it is grown and consumed in vast quantities. Led by Dr Stewart Jennings from the University of Leeds, […]
Children’s HIV Deaths in Africa Largely Preventable
SEATTLE — More than half of the children who died from HIV-related illnesses in Africa were not diagnosed with HIV prior to their death, and nearly all of these deaths were preventable, data from the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) study indicated. Of more than 2,100 pediatric deaths captured in recent years across […]
CDC, WHO, Uganda To Host Regional Meeting As Ebola Spreads
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Uganda next week will host a ministerial meeting on the outbreak of the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus which has no proven vaccine and has caused alarm in the East Africa region. Acting director Ahmed Ogwell told journalists on Thursday the […]
9 Million Children To Be Vaccinated Against Polio In Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A drive to vaccinate more than 9 million children against polio has been launched this week in four countries in southern and eastern Africa after an outbreak was confirmed in Malawi. The urgent vaccination campaign has started in Malawi where drops of the inoculation are being placed in the […]
Sustainable groundwater use could be answer to Africa’s water issues
Tapping into groundwater can help communities in Africa diversify their water supply and strengthen their drought defenses, according to a study led by The University of Texas at Austin. The research, which was published in Environmental Research Letters, tracked long term water storage gains and losses across Africa’s 13 major aquifers and found opportunities for […]
Young Women Prefer Vaginal Ring as HIV Prevention
When given the option, adolescent girls and young women in Africa overwhelmingly opted to use either a drug-eluting vaginal ring or oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to protect against HIV infection, a researcher reported. In the so-called REACH trial, 67% of adolescent girls and young women preferred to use the dapivirine vaginal ring, 31% were happy […]
Omicron Was In Netherlands Before It Was Alerted By South Africa
BRUSSELS (AP) — The omicron variant was already in the Netherlands when South Africa alerted the World Health Organization about it last week, Dutch health authorities said Tuesday, adding to fear and confusion over the new version of the coronavirus in a weary world hoping it had left the worst of the pandemic behind. The […]
South Africa Braces For COVID-19 Wave Propelled By Omicron
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Worried scientists in South Africa are scrambling to combat the lightning spread across the country of the new and highly transmissible omicron COVID-19 variant as the world grapples with its emergence. In the space of two weeks, the omicron variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid […]
Will Flight Restrictions Help Prevent New COVID-19 Variant Spread?
A new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa is leading to a new round of travel restrictions just as many had finally begun to ease. The risks of the variant, called omicron, are largely unknown. But the World Health Organization has called it a “variant of concern” and governments around the world are not waiting […]
South Africa Finds New Variant Of COVID-19 With ‘Constellation Of Mutations’
A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in South Africa, troubling scientists who say the strain has a high number of mutations and is likely already sparking a jump in new cases around Johannesburg. The variant, which is being referred to as the B1.1.529 variant until the World Health Organization decides to assign […]