Imperial College London Brings AI for Healthcare Training to Zimbabwe
Michael Gwarisa A team from Imperial College London has travelled to Zimbabwe to deliver an intensive training programme aimed at strengthening the use of machine learning in healthcare, as global efforts grow to harness artificial intelligence for improved health outcomes. The three day course, titled Machine Learning for Health Applications, was held in Harare from
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Maternal anaemia fuels intergenerational malnutrition in Zimbabwe
Michael Gwarisa Maternal anaemia is tightening its grip on Zimbabwe, with the latest Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) revealing a sharp and worrying rise over the past decade. In 2015, 27 percent of women of childbearing age (15 to 49) were anaemic. Today, that figure has climbed to 41.8 percent, a nearly 55 percent
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Urban Malaria Threat Looms as Invasive Mosquito Nears Southern Africa
Michael Gwarisa Malaria experts have raised alarm over an emerging invasive mosquito species capable of thriving in hot, densely populated urban environments, warning that it could complicate already fragile malaria control efforts across Africa, HealthTimes has learnt. The mosquito, known as Anopheles stephensi, originates from Southeast Asia and has, over the past decade, been detected
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Africa CDC Appoints Four Senior Advisors to Advance Health Strategy
Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has appointed four senior advisors, a move aimed at strengthening the organisation’s capacity to respond to public health threats across the continent. The four include Ambassador Troy Fitrell (USA) as Senior Advisor on International Cooperation, Ambassador Pierre Delsaux (Belgium) as Senior Advisor on Strategic Partnership,
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AU Commission on Human Rights Urges Zimbabwe to Reconsider Gender Commission Scrapping
Michael Gwarisa The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has urged Zimbabwe to reconsider plans to scrap the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, warning that the move could undermine progress made in advancing gender equality and protecting women’s rights. The call was made following the Commission’s visit to the country as part of the Promotion Mission
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Middle East War Pushes Up Mosquito Net Production Costs, Threatening Africa’s Malaria Fight
Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned of a looming malaria crisis, driven by rising costs of polyester, a key raw material used in the production of mosquito nets. Across Africa, where malaria remains endemic, long-lasting insecticidal nets are a primary line of defence against the anopheles mosquito,
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Zimbabwe Probes Genetic Link in Unexplained Infertility Cases
Michael Gwarisa Data shows up to 20 percent of couples face unexplained infertility, where science has not identified a clear cause, prompting Zimbabwean medical experts to launch a study exploring potential genetic links to infertility. While science has established that factors such as poor sperm quality, low sperm count, uterine abnormalities in women, fibroids, and
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Zimbabwe Public Health Workers Equipped to Turn Data into Policy
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is strengthening its public health decision-making by equipping government officials with critical data analysis skills, following the completion of a six-month Data-to-Policy (D2P) training programme led by Vital Strategies. The latest cohort saw 19 participants from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small
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Gilead Refuses to Sell Lenacapavir to MSF Amid Rising HIV Risk
By Michael Gwarisa Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has accused pharmaceutical company Gilead of refusing to sell lenacapavir, a long acting injectable used to prevent HIV infection. MSF says the refusal follows multiple requests made over several months, including a formal meeting in which the organisation sought to purchase a
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Health Funders Push Back, Warn 80% of Private Healthcare Funding at Risk in IPEC Takeover
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector faces uncertainty as health funders warn that proposed regulatory changes could disrupt medical aid societies that finance up to 80 percent of private healthcare. The proposed reforms, contained in the IPEC Amendment Bill, have triggered concern among healthcare funders who warn the move could disrupt a system that has long
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