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Rare HIV ‘Breakthrough’ Cases Reported in Lenacapavir PrEP Trials Across Africa
Michael Gwarisa As more African countries begin to introduce lenacapavir into their HIV prevention programmes, scientists are examining new data showing that a small number of people became infected with HIV while using the medication. The drug’s rollout now extends beyond just one or two nations. Countries that have started distributing the twice-yearly injectable or
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South Africa Urged to Secure Better Lenacapavir License Terms With Gilead Before Local Manufacturing
Michael Gwarisa Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has urged South Africa not to rush into local manufacturing of lenacapavir, an injectable HIV prevention drug, without first negotiating stronger, more equitable license terms or using a compulsory license to bypass patent restrictions. Their call follows a recent announcement by the South African government that it is negotiating
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Over 120,000 Cape Town Teenagers May Need Asthma Care as Pollen Seasons Lengthen
WATCH HERE: Struggling to Breathe: The Silent Burden of COPD & Asthma Michael Gwarisa in Cape Town, South Africa Health experts have warned of a growing asthma burden among children in Cape Town, South Africa, with data showing that over 17 percent of teenagers in the city have a history of asthma and could still
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The Damage We Breathe Today: How Lung Injuries Are Quietly Killing Adults Years Later
Watch: Struggling to Breathe: The Silent Burden of COPD & Asthma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7zMOLo5C0&t=226s Michael Gwarisa in Cape Town For decades, Evelyn’s smoking and repeated lung infections from tuberculosis (TB) took a toll she barely noticed. What started as a simple cough or occasional shortness of breath gradually turned into a constant struggle for air. Now, even
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South Africa Launches Bid to Produce Lenacapavir as Region Seeks HIV Prevention Breakthrough
Michael Gwarisa South Africa has taken a significant step toward expanding access to next-generation HIV prevention by launching a process aimed at manufacturing lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable drug widely seen as a potential game-changer in the fight against HIV. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy by the government to strengthen regional pharmaceutical
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Born With It or Brought On by the Air? The Many Faces of Chronic Lung Disease in Children
Michael Gwarisa, Cape Town “I almost quit my job so that I could monitor my child,” says Jacky Phillips, the mother of eight-year-old Lorren Hansen, who lives with severe asthma. Phillips works as a cashier at a fuel station in Atlantis, in South Africa’s Western Cape. She recalls that Lorren’s health challenges began shortly after
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South Africa’s Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill Faces Acid Test
Michael Gwarisa South Africa’s Portfolio Committee on Health has flagged grey areas in the proposed Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, warning that the legislation continues to permit the smoking of combustible cigarettes and may therefore fail to protect millions of South Africans. The discussion took place on the same day Finance Minister
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Single-Dose Pill Brings Sleeping Sickness Closer to Elimination in Africa
Michael Gwarisa A breakthrough in the fight against sleeping sickness could transform care for thousands of patients in Africa. The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has given a positive opinion to Acoziborole Winthrop, a single-dose, three-tablet treatment for the most common form of the disease, gambiense sleeping sickness. Developed
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Africa CDC Defends Health Data Sovereignty as African States Push Back on US Health Deals
Michael Gwarisa The Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, Dr Jean Kaseya, has stressed that Africa’s health sovereignty is non-negotiable, amid growing resistance by African states to aspects of United States-backed health agreements. His remarks follow disclosures by countries including Zimbabwe and Zambia, which this week confirmed they had declined a United
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Zambia Follows Zimbabwe in Rejecting US Health Aid Deal
Michael Gwarisa There appears to be growing pushback among African countries regarding a United States (US) government health aid deal, with Zambia becoming the latest to reject parts of the deal. A Reuters report indicates that Zambia turned down a US$1 billion global health aid package from the United States, citing that the agreement does
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