382 Students Hit by Respiratory Illness Outbreak at St Faith’s School in Manicaland
By Michael Gwarisa More than 382 students at St Faith’s High School in Makoni District, Manicaland Province, have been affected by an outbreak of an acute respiratory illness that has swept through the boarding school since Thursday, overwhelming the school’s clinic and leaving eight learners admitted to hospital. The Ministry of Health and Child Care
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Harare’s Scabies Outbreak Started at Hopley Daycare, 70 Cases Now Reported
By Michael Gwarisa A scabies outbreak has spread through Harare’s overcrowded informal settlements, with health authorities confirming 70 cases in Hopley and Stoneridge, raising fresh concerns about the health risks posed by rapid urbanisation and poor living conditions. While the City of Harare recently alerted residents to the outbreak, HealthTimes has established that at least
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Zimbabwe Promises Free Caesarean Sections Once National Health Insurance Programme Takes Effect
By Michael Gwarisa The Government has acknowledged that financial barriers are preventing some pregnant women from accessing life-saving maternal healthcare and says it is finalising legislation that will introduce free healthcare for every Zimbabwean citizen and resident. Responding to concerns raised in Parliament, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the proposed
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Zimbabwe Lost 563 Mothers and 6,177 Newborns in 2025 as Maternal Health Challenges Persist
By Michael Gwarisa Every day in 2025, nearly 17 Zimbabwean babies died every day before reaching one month of life. By the end of the year, the country had lost 6,177 newborns, a heartbreaking toll that translates to almost 119 babies every week. Put another way, it is as if, an entire classroom of new-borns
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First Trial to Prevent Bundibugyo Ebola After Exposure Begins as Outbreak Claims 600 Lives
By Michael Gwarisa Scientists have launched the world’s first clinical trial to determine whether an experimental antiviral drug can prevent people exposed to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus from developing the deadly disease, offering new hope as an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda continues to spread. The EBO-PEP
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Bundibugyo Ebola Cases Surge 25% in a Week as Africa CDC Warns Outbreak Is Accelerating
By Michael Gwarisa The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is accelerating at an alarming pace, with infections surging by 25% in just one week as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned that the virus is spreading faster than response efforts can keep up. The continental public health agency
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Zimbabwe Introduces Law Requiring Private Hospitals to Treat Emergency Patients Regardless of Ability to Pay
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has enacted sweeping amendments to the Medical Services Act that will require private hospitals to provide life-saving emergency treatment to critically ill patients regardless of their ability to pay, marking one of the country’s most significant health law reforms in recent years. The Medical Services Amendment Act, 2026, gazetted this week
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More Than a Courtesy Call: What Lydia Zigomo’s Zimbabwe Mission Means for Women and young people
By Michael Gwarisa When Lydia Zigomo, the UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa arrived in Zimbabwe for her recent high-level mission, her schedule appeared much like that of many senior United Nations officials. There were meetings with government ministers, engagements with development partners, discussions with young people, visits to key national institutions and
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Daily Pill Burden Fuels Demand for Long-Acting HIV Prevention in Zimbabwe, Survey Finds
By Michael Gwarisa Nearly seven in ten Zimbabweans who previously used daily oral HIV prevention pills abandoned treatment because of the burden of taking medication every day, a new survey has revealed, adding fresh evidence that long-acting injectable HIV prevention could transform the country’s fight against new HIV infections. The findings come just months after
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38,000 Malawians to Receive Lenacapavir as First Shipment of HIV Prevention Doses Arrives
By Michael Gwarisa Malawi has received its first shipment of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention medicine, with enough doses expected to protect 38,000 people, marking another milestone in Africa’s rollout of one of the most significant advances in HIV prevention in decades. The arrival of the first of two planned shipments positions Malawi as
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