Zimbabwe’s NCD deaths rose by 21,000 in three decades, Lancet study finds
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s estimated annual deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) more than doubled over three decades, rising from about 21,000 in 1990 to 42,000 in 2023, according to a new Lancet Global Health study. The study, which analysed Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 data across all 54 African countries, estimated that Zimbabwe recorded
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Zimbabwe widens TB response as government turns to communities to find missing TB cases
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is stepping up efforts to find people with tuberculosis earlier and link them to treatment, as the government acknowledges that despite improvements in case notification and treatment outcomes, too many people remain unreached. The Ministry of Health and Child Care says the country is finding more people with TB, with notifications
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Africa CDC Assures Delegates Ahead of CPHIA as DRC Ebola Outbreak Surges
By Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says it remains confident that the continent can safely host the Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Addis Ababa in November, despite the rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The assurance comes as the DRC
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Zimbabwe Records 12,000 Influenza Cases a Week, as Ministry Rules Out COVID in 302 Tests
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is recording nearly 12,000 influenza cases a week during the current seasonal peak, but the Ministry of Health and Child Care says there is no evidence that the country is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. The ministry says laboratory testing conducted in cases where COVID-19 was clinically suspected has so far found
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Experts Urge Stronger Prevention Advocacy to Sustain Zimbabwe’s HIV Gains Amid Shrinking Funding
By Patricia Mashiri Zimbabwe must intensify prevention advocacy and strengthen community-led HIV prevention efforts to safeguard decades of progress against HIV as shrinking donor funding threatens the country’s response, health experts have said. The call was made during the inception meeting of the Community Monitoring and Engagement for Transformation (COMET) Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) Pivot Pilot
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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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African Leaders Pledge US$910 Million to Contain Ebola as Africa CDC Warns Time Is Running Out
By Michael Gwarisa African leaders, donors and international partners have pledged US$910 million towards containing the growing Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with health officials warning that delays in releasing funds could sharply escalate both infections and costs. The commitments were announced following a High-Level Emergency Meeting convened
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WHO Pushes Expansion of PEN-Plus to 30 African Countries Ahead of Tanzania Conference
By Michael Gwarisa The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing to expand its PEN-Plus programme to 30 African countries beginning this year as governments, health experts and development partners gather momentum to tackle the continent’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The planned expansion comes ahead of the 3rd International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa (ICPPA
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AFRICALLI calls for allergy care to be recognised as essential health across Africa during World Allergy Week 2026
By Michael Gwarisa The African Alliance for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (AFRICALLI) is using World Allergy Week 2026 to push for a major shift in how allergic and immunologic diseases are prioritised across the continent, calling for them to be formally recognised as essential health care within national health systems. Under the theme “Allergy Care
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635 Cases and Rising: Current Ebola Outbreak Far Exceeds Previous Bundibugyo Epidemics
By Michael Gwarisa The current outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease (BVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded since the strain was first identified nearly two decades ago, according to data from Africa CDC. As of June 9, 2026, the outbreak had recorded 635 confirmed cases and 127
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