By Michael Gwarisa Zambia has finally agreed to sign a US$1.5 billion health funding deal with the United States after months of negotiations over controversial provisions on health data, biological specimens and the conditions attached to American assistance. The five-year agreement, which is expected to be signed on Thursday, will

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is entering a new and uncertain chapter in its fight against HIV and tuberculosis as United States Government-funded health programmes close, raising questions about whether the country can sustain gains built over decades of international support. The transition comes as Zimbabwe's health authorities seek to shift

By Michael Gwarisa A sharp decline in reported Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be masking continued transmission, with insecurity and community resistance preventing response teams from reaching some of the outbreak's most affected communities, Africa CDC has warned. Dr Wessam Mankoula, who leads the Continental Incident

By Kuda Pembere The Zimbabwe Gender Commission has launched a 90-day national campaign against intimate partner violence following concern over domestic violence cases that have escalated into serious injury and loss of life. Speaking to journalists on Friday, ZGC chairperson Dr Leslie Ncube said the reported increase in physical, sexual

By Michael Gwarisa For more than a century, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been the world's main vaccine against tuberculosis, protecting millions of children from severe forms of the disease. But the vaccine's limitations have become increasingly difficult to ignore. While BCG remains an important tool for protecting infants

By Percival Kushure Community leaders in Ward 26, Shamva, have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening efforts to prevent child marriages and teenage pregnancies, following a sensitisation programme on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH). The engagement brought together Chief Mutumba, village heads and key community stakeholders in a collaborative initiative

By Kuda Pembere President Emmerson Mnangagwa says access to essential health services has continued to improve through the strengthening of public health institutions, expansion of primary healthcare services and improved availability of essential medicines. Addressing Parliament at the official opening of the Fourth Session of the Tenth Parliament at the

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has received the first 23,000 doses of US-funded lenacapavir from a consignment of 43,000 doses secured to expand access to the twice-yearly HIV prevention medicine, just days before the United States is set to end its health assistance programmes in the country. The latest shipment is

By Patricia Mashiri Disability advocates have called for women with disabilities to move beyond being viewed as beneficiaries of policies and programmes and take their place as leaders and decision-makers in Zimbabwe. Speaking at a Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe  disability forum on women with disabilities in absentia  Presidential Special Advisor

By Kuda Pembere The Health Professions Authority (HPA) closed 48 health facilities this year for operating without the required registration or qualified personnel, bringing the number of facilities closed since last year to 77. The closures were carried out with the assistance of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), with 29

By Kuda Pembere “Children Under 18 should be allowed to abort! Simple…!” Human rights lawyer Tinashe Mundawarara's blunt Facebook statement has reopened a difficult question in Zimbabwe: what should happen when a child becomes pregnant? Mundawarara followed his statement with another question: “Who wants their 12 or 13 year old

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe is moving to establish a national benchmark for workplace wellness, with the Zimbabwe Business Council on Wellness (ZBCW) and Ganadora International set to launch a study aimed at filling a longstanding gap in data on workplace mental health, health challenges and their impact on productivity. Speaking

By Michael Gwarisa  The United States has formally signalled a new direction in its relationship with Zimbabwe, shifting the emphasis from decades of health and humanitarian assistance towards trade, investment and broader economic cooperation following the collapse of a proposed bilateral health agreement.  US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont made

By Michael Gwarisa  Zimbabwe’s estimated annual deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) more than doubled over three decades, rising from about 21,000 in 1990 to 42,000 in 2023, according to a new Lancet Global Health study. The study, which analysed Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 data across all 54 African

By Michael Gwarisa  ViiV Healthcare has announced a new £9.75 million investment to strengthen HIV services for children and adolescents through the third phase of the Breakthrough Partnership, running from 2026 to 2029. The investment, made through ViiV Healthcare's Positive Action programme, will support the partnership's work in Cameroon, Mozambique,

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is stepping up efforts to find people with tuberculosis earlier and link them to treatment, as the government acknowledges that despite improvements in case notification and treatment outcomes, too many people remain unreached. The Ministry of Health and Child Care says the country is finding more

By Michael Gwarisa Despite meeting the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets overall, Zimbabwe’s HIV response could face growing pressure if it fails to secure alternative funding to cover gaps left by international donors and development partners, delegates to the Transition Initiative Stakeholder Dialogue on Health financing  have warned. The warning comes as

By Kuda Pembere At a time when Zimbabwe’s public debt has reached US$23.7 billion, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has urged the government to join the proposed Borrowers Forum, bringing together debt-distressed countries to amplify their collective voice in efforts to address the global debt crisis. AHF Zimbabwe Country Director

By Michael Gwarisa The Democratic Republic of Congo’s response to the escalating Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak is facing a major surveillance gap, with Africa CDC estimating that current contact follow-up covers only about 27 percent of the contacts expected from the number of confirmed cases. Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean

By Michael Gwarisa A multidisciplinary team of medical specialists from the United States is in Zimbabwe for a 12-day medical mission aimed at expanding access to specialised surgical care for underserved communities. The LEAP Global Missions team, working in partnership with Celebration Health, is conducting the Zimbabwe Medical Mission from