Published First on https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/ LSHTM Vaccine Centre Co-Director Dr Muhammed Afolabi discusses the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, the challenges of developing a vaccine against it and how to prepare for future outbreaks. On 17 May 2026 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic

Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has intensified its fight against drug and substance abuse, with authorities dismantling 31 drug bases, arraigning nearly 3 000 suspects before the courts, and expanding rehabilitation and youth empowerment programmes across the country. Presenting an update during a recent Cabinet briefing, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said the government, through

Michael Gwarisa African health leaders have pushed back against recent travel restrictions imposed by the United States in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, warning that such measures may undermine coordinated outbreak control efforts and weaken global solidarity. The U.S. recently issued a Level 4 “Do

Michael Gwarisa In a move aimed at reducing costs related to blood and blood products, the Government of Zimbabwe says it is working on a plan to allow relatives and family members to donate blood for their loved ones on demand. The Government says it is working on plans to

Michael Gwarisa The United States has imposed emergency travel restrictions on travelers from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan following a growing outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, drawing concern from African health authorities who warned against punitive measures that could undermine outbreak response

Michael Gwarisa in Bulawayo Mpilo Central Hospital’s HIV laboratory has transitioned to 100 percent solar power, a development health officials say is improving the quality of HIV viral load samples, reducing testing failures, and strengthening patient care for thousands of people living with HIV in Zimbabwe. The upgrade was carried

Michael Gwarisa Barely six months after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the end of its last Ebola outbreak in December 2025, another deadly outbreak has emerged, this time involving the rare Bundibugyo strain, raising fears of wider regional spread and exposing major weaknesses in outbreak preparedness across

Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s sugar tax, introduced in 2024 to help finance cancer drugs, equipment and other health interventions, is increasingly becoming a major financial burden for beverage giant Delta Corporation, which says it and its associate Schweppes Zimbabwe are absorbing millions of dollars in costs to keep soft drinks affordable.

By Maceline M. Mukwamba In Zimbabwe and across many parts of the world, a quiet crisis continues to unfold behind closed doors, within families, schools, and communities. It is the story of children, girls often between the ages of 10 and 17, who survive rape only to face a second,

Michael Gwarisa in Bulawayo For years, families living near Mpilo Central Hospital woke up to the same reality: ash settling on rooftops and washing lines, thick smoke hanging in the air, and fumes so harsh they sometimes forced residents indoors. Today, many say that has changed. A newly constructed high-capacity

Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwean health authorities say they are monitoring three healthcare workers who arrived in the country on Monday after being identified as contacts of a confirmed hantavirus case on Ascension Island, amid growing international attention over an outbreak linked to a cruise ship travelling from South America. The Ministry

As African health authorities intensify surveillance following a hantavirus outbreak linked to an international cruise ship, many people across the continent are asking the same question: what exactly is hantavirus, and should Africa be worried? The outbreak, which involved passengers travelling aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius from South

Michael Gwarisa in Midlands Province Moments after washing a bucket at Shurugwi District Hospital’s maternity wing, pregnant mother Martha Macheka carefully closes the tap before calling another expectant woman to help her carry the water back to the waiting mothers’ shelter. Just a few years ago, such a simple act

Michael Gwarisa in Kwekwe A few metres away, the wife of 50-year-old Moses Ndaba stands quietly, her face weighed down by worry as she watches her husband struggle to breathe. Clad in a green dress, she reaches into a plastic bag, pulls out an apple and gently hands it to

Michael Gwarisa in Manicaland Despite the scorching heat, 58-year-old Fibion Nyatsanza (Not his real name), from Saumani village in the Honde Valley is determined to find out what has been keeping him awake at night for the past three weeks. Shortly after midday, he walks through the gates of Hauna

Michael Gwarisa, Manicaland “My labour pains felt like a running stomach. I did not realise I was about to give birth,” recalls Sophia Uranda from Chavhanga Village in Honde Valley. What began as mild discomfort quickly turned into an emergency. On her way to the clinic, the contractions intensified, forcing

By Kuda Pembere After three decades of treating child malnutrition with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) such as Plumpy Nut under United Nations Children’s Fund support, Zimbabwe faces new risks as funding shortages strain supply pipelines. RUTF, an energy-dense food used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition, has

Michael Gwarisa in Mahusekwa At Mahusekwa Hospital, what once passed for a pharmacy was a cramped room that struggled to serve an entire district. Medicines were often in short supply, storage conditions were far from ideal, and patients frequently travelled long distances only to leave empty-handed or be referred to

Michael Gwarisa Africa’s research and policy community is marking a major milestone with the launch of the African Journal of Health Economics, Systems and Policy (AJHESP), a continent-led, bilingual, fully open-access journal designed to strengthen evidence-based decision-making in health. The journal, which officially launches on May 4, 2026, brings together

Michael Gwarisa Zambia finds itself at the centre of a high stakes geopolitical and public health dilemma as pressure from the United States intensifies over a proposed agreement linking health funding to economic concessions. While April 30 has circulated widely as a decisive deadline, it is not an official contractual