January 2023 - HealthTimes

Antimicrobial Resistance To NTDs Medicines On the Increase

January 31, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently working on developing alternative or second-line treatments, or combination therapies of existing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) medicines, following indications that some NTDs were developing resistance to the different antimicrobials used to treat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), a new report has announced. By Michael Gwarisa The emergence of treatment failure has already been observed in kinetoplastids and in the causative organisms of leprosy among the bacterial NTDs. This development could hamper efforts in countries such as Zimbabwe where Leprosy has resurfaced and has reportedly…

Multi-stakeholder approach key in NTD elimination

January 31, 2023 Healthtimes

By Dr Kennedy Mubaiwa, Higherlife Foundation CEO Tadiwa, an 11-year-old Grade six student in rural Zimbabwe has missed school for more than a week. She has a distended stomach, nausea, pain, and dizziness. Tadiwa is well known for playing in a nearby stream, the only water source for her village. Today Tadiwa visited the clinic, where she was diagnosed with intestinal worms otherwise known as soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and treatment was started immediately. Intestinal worms are one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affecting more than 1 billion children worldwide.…

Avenues Clinic General Manager, Heath Dhana Resigns

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

RENOWNED hotelier, Heath Dhana who had taken over the reins at Avenues Clinic as the General Manager, has since quit to pursue other interest in the Hospitality sector. By Michael Gwarisa Dhana made his first attempt in the health fraternity at Avenues Clinic during the COVID-19 era, a period when the tourism and hospitality sector was experiencing challenges induced by the pandemic. Commenting on Dhana’s departure, Avenues Clinic Corporate Affairs Officer, Cordellia Shereni said Dhana had left an indelible mark at the institution as he brought a lot of changes…

Four Neglected Tropical Diseases That Shouldn’t Be

January 30, 2023 Healthtimes

How USAID is leading the charge against elephantiasis, scabies, intestinal worms, and yaws in the Pacific Islands Did you know that 1 billion people worldwide are affected by neglected tropical diseases? Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are parasitic and bacterial conditions predominantly found in tropical regions of the world that plague many low-income and marginalized populations. In the Pacific Islands, USAID works with national and local governments, development partners, and communities to build awareness, conduct screenings, and deliver medicine to help combat the following four most prevalent neglected tropical diseases affecting…

Unpacking Zimbabwe’s post abortion care responsibility and gaps

January 30, 2023November 28, 2023 Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamela Kadau Across the world, abortion related complications constitute part of the major reasons women seek emergency obstetric care. According to the Post Abortion Care Consortium, Post abortion care (PAC) consists of emergency treatment for complications related to spontaneous or induced abortions. It also includes family planning and birth spacing counseling, and provision of family planning methods for the prevention of further mistimed or unplanned pregnancies that may result in repeat induced abortions. Comprehensive PAC also includes services such as medical assessment for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.…

COVID-19 still a global health emergency, says WHO

January 30, 2023 Healthtimes

The verdict is in: The COVID-19 pandemic is still a global health emergency, the World Health Organization has concluded. But it might not be for much longer. The decision from the WHO — exactly three years after COVID-19 was first declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — comes after a meeting of the COVID-19 emergency committee on January 27. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concurred with the committee’s advice that there is a continued risk posed by COVID-19. The news comes as countries increasingly deliberate how…

Zimbabwe Spends US$17 Million On Family Planning

January 30, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

LATEST data from the Family Planning (FP2030) report indicates that in 2021, Zimbabwe spent a significant amount of money to support family planning, including commodity purchases, demand creation campaigns, investments in training and research, and service delivery. By Michael Gwarisa Data from the FP2030’s 2022 Measurement Report includes estimates for 59 countries and from amongst these, Zimbabwe is estimated to have spent US$$17,928,498 in 2021 making it one of the countries in East and Southern Africa (ESA) with the highest Family Planning domestic expenditures. From the data presented in the…

20 percent Zim primary school pupils cant read and write

January 28, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

LACK of foundational learning coupled with a complex new school curriculum, has seen 20 percent of primary school children in Zimbabwe reaching Grade 4 not being able to read, write and solve simple mathematical problems, a top government official has warned. By Michael Gwarisa Literacy and numeracy also defined as the ability to read, write and the ability to understand, reason with, and to apply simple numerical concepts are by world educational standards the building blocks to other skills as they give children the ability to access higher-order skills and…

Dominican Convent Expels Eight Girls For Drug Use

January 26, 2023January 26, 2023 Healthtimes

HARARE stationed Private Catholic girls high school, Dominican Convent has expelled eight students for partaking in illicit drugs and substances at a recent trip in Nyanga. By Staff Reporter In a letter written to parents by the Head of Upper School at Domincan Convent, Sr Kudzai Mutsure, she said they had exhausted all disciplinary channels and expulsion was in the best interest of both the school and the affected pupils. I write on a sad note to notify you that the 8 girls we had put on suspension pending investigations…

Use Of Modern Contraceptives Prevents 141 million unintended pregnancies, 29 Million Unsafe Abortions In 2022

January 26, 2023January 26, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

DATA from the Family Planning 2030’s 2022 Measurement Report has shown an increase in the use of modern contraception around the world, with an estimated 371 million women of reproductive age in low- and lower-middle-income countries now using a modern method of family planning, 87 million more than just a decade ago. By Michael Gwarisa FP2030’s 2022 Measurement Report, which was previewed in November 2022 at the International Conference on Family Planning, shows that more women in low- and lower-middle income countries are using modern family planning methods than ever…