Day: March 8, 2022

Women and girls carry the heaviest HIV burden in sub-Saharan Africa

Michael Gwarisa

WOMEN and girls bear the biggest burden of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to their male counterparts. By Staff Reporter According to UNAIDS data, gender inequality and discrimination robs women and girls of their fundamental human rights, including the right to education, health and economic opportunities. The resulting disempowerment also denies women and girls sexual autonomy, decision-making power, dignity and safety. These impacts are most pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa, where adolescent girls and young women (aged 15 to 24 years) accounted for 25% of HIV infections in 2020, despite representing…

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Act Now to Save Lives and Prevent Migrants From Going Missing

Healthtimes

Thousands of migrants go missing or die each year along migration routes. In 2018, United Nations Member States committed to “save lives and establish coordinated international efforts on missing migrants” by adopting the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Four years and more than 15,000 documented deaths later, efforts to provide a meaningful response to this ongoing human tragedy cannot be put off any further. As heads of the United Nations Network on Migration’s Executive Committee, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of…

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Suspend Sale of Captured Live Wildlife in Food Markets Warns WHO and Partners

Michael Gwarisa

THE World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agricultural organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have issued a statement condemning the sale of live wild mammals as well as the slaughtering of sickly wild animals as a means to prevent the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants between humans and wild animals. By Michael Gwarisa The call follows indications that certain wildlife species have been observed to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in some parts of the world.  These species include domestic animals, free-ranging, captive or…

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How Media and Journalists Indirectly Promote Suicide

Michael Gwarisa

MEDIA play a critical role in society and without them, the world would suffer from information deficiency. The four functions of media are to inform, persuade, transmit culture, and entertain. It requires only responsible media to have that hazard perception skill or that fifth sense that tells them beforehand the implications their message could have on individuals and society and large. By Michael Gwarisa In the wrong hands, media can be dangerous and lethal, hence the old adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Media reportage of mental health…

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