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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Africa CDC and FHI 360 Sign MoU to Strengthen Health Security and Advance Africa’s Health Sovereignty
Michael Gwarisa In a move aimed at strengthening collaboration to advance health security, workforce development, and resilient public health systems across Africa, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FHI 360. The MoU sets in motion a structured framework for cooperation aligned with Africa CDC’s Strategic
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African Heads of State Commit to Advance Local Manufacturing of Health Products
Michael Gwarisa African Heads of State and Government have pledged to accelerate local manufacturing of health products as part of a continent wide push to strengthen health security, reduce import dependence, and improve preparedness for future pandemics. Leaders from all 54 member states of the African Union made the commitment during high level engagements held
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