Category: Global Health

We also look at whats happneing across the world

Don’t sit on the toilet for more than 10 minutes, doctors warn

Healthtimes

  CNN  —  Let’s be honest — people have a habit of bringing their phones to the bathroom. I’ve been guilty of it myself, and chances are that someone is on the toilet reading this article right now. A three-minute trip to the loo can easily turn into 15 minutes of reading, scrolling and posting. It might seem a harmless way to pass the time when you’re going number two. However, experts warn that what they call prolonged sitting on the toilet can harm your health. It’s even been connected…

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Iraq Propose Bill To Reduce Age Of Consent For Girls To 9 Years

Michael Gwarisa

In Iraq, a proposed bill seeks to amend the Personal Status Law and Amendments 1959, which could lower the age of marriage to as young as 9 years old for girls. The bill passed its first reading on 11 August 2024, one of three stages proposed legislation must pass before it is put to vote. Current legislation (the Personal Status Law and Amendments 1959, also known as Law 188) sets the minimum legal age for marriage at 18, though individuals can marry at age 15 with judicial approval. The new…

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3-Month Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention Demonstrates Superior Drug Release Compared to 1-Month Ring

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter Lima, Peru – The Population Council, an international nonprofit research organization, announced today at HIVR4P 2024, the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, the results of a phase I open-label randomized crossover relative bioavailability trial (IPM 054). The trial found that a 3-month dapivirine vaginal ring delivers the active antiretroviral drug, dapivirine, at higher levels than the 1-month dapivirine vaginal ring. The trial, conducted among   124 women in South Africa, suggests that the longer-acting ring will be as effective as the 1-month ring, offering a more cost…

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Viagra drug improves brain blood flow and could help to prevent dementia

Healthtimes

A University of Oxford trial has shown that sildenafil, commonly known as Viagra, enhances blood flow to the brain and improves the function of brain blood vessels in patients at a heightened risk of vascular dementia.   This new study, published in Circulation Research and supported by the NIHR Oxford   Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), marks a potentially pivotal step in the fight against this debilitating condition. Dr Alastair Webb, Associate Professor at the Wolfson Centre for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia at Oxford University, said: “This is the first trial to…

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UN urges Gilead to ‘make history’ with game-changing HIV drug

Healthtimes

Gilead could bring the AIDS pandemic towards an end if the US pharmaceutical giant opens up access to its game-changing new HIV drug, the head of UNAIDS told AFP. Winnie Byanyima urged Gilead to “make history” by allowing generic manufacturing of Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable antiretroviral medication used to treat HIV patients. She urged Gilead to open up Lenacapavir to the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool international organisation, whereby cheaper generic versions could be sold under licence in low- and middle-income nations. Whatever the financial rewards of creating Lenacapavir, the renown of being…

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HIV vaccines tested in PrEPVacc fail to reduce infections

Michael Gwarisa

The results of the PrEPVacc HIV vaccine trial conducted in Eastern and Southern Africa, which ran between 2020 and 2024, show conclusively that neither of the two experimental vaccine regimens tested reduced HIV infections among the study population. Vaccinations in the PrEPVacc trial were stopped in November 2023 (and publicly announced in December 2023) when it became clear to independent experts monitoring the study data that there was little or no chance of the vaccines demonstrating efficacy in preventing HIV acquisition. The PrEPVacc vaccine trial results, announced today at AIDS…

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“Ending AIDS is impossible if we do not prioritize children” – EGPAF

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter MUNICH, GERMANY – 22 July 2024 – The UNAIDS Global Report, “The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads,” released today, says “ending AIDS as a public health threat is achievable by 2030 but that success is being threatened by pushes to reduce funding and to restrict human rights.” Challenges faced by children living with HIV are among the most significant threats to progress. “The report clearly shows that truly ending AIDS is impossible if we do not prioritize children,” said Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)…

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Visa disaster looming ahead of International AIDS Conference in Munich

Michael Gwarisa

Delays in visa processing at German embassies put the participation of people from countries of the global South and of people from vulnerable communities in jeopardy. Deutsche Aidshilfe is now calling for political action. The conference of the International AIDS Society IAS is the world’s largest congress on scientific, socio-political and civic aspects of HIV. More than 15,000 scientists, doctors, other health care professionals and activists from over 175 countries are expected to attend #AIDS2024 in Munich from July 22 to 26, 2024. However, several activists have been reporting that…

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Tampons Contain Cancer-Causing Metals- Study

Healthtimes

By Staff Reporter Women who use Tampons to manage their menstrual cycles are exposed to a greater risk of developing cancer of the reproductive system owing to the presence of heavy toxic metals in the menstrual products. Over 100 million women in over 120 countries Zimbabwe included, use tampons during their menstrual cycle. Most tampons are made from cotton and rayon, both of which are made from plants that may be exposed to heavy metal contamination in the soil. However, a new study conducted by researchers at the UC Berkeley…

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Biden administration plans major cuts to AIDS relief programs in Africa

Healthtimes

The Biden administration plans to cut funding by more than 6 percent in fiscal 2025 from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the 21-year-old program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa, a senior PEPFAR official told POLITICO. The State Department, which oversees the program, confirmed the cuts. The department has gradually spent down a glut in the PEPFAR budget from years in which funding from Congress exceeded State’s ability to spend it, said a department spokesperson who, like the PEPFAR official, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive…

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