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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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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More Zimbabwean Men Dying Than Women, Vital Statistics Report Shows
Michael Gwarisa More Zimbabwean men are dying than women, with males accounting for the majority of registered deaths in both 2023 and 2024, according to findings contained in the Zimbabwe Vital Statistics Report 2023–2024. The report, released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), shows that men accounted for 53 percent of all registered deaths
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Zimbabwe Commences Ebola Screening, Requests Africa CDC Reagents Ahead Of Potential Spillover
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has begun screening travellers for Ebola at ports of entry and activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as the country intensifies preparedness measures against the deadly outbreak currently affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The government has also requested laboratory reagents from the
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US Suspends Entry of Travelers From Uganda, DRC Over Ebola Outbreak Fears
Michael Gwarisa The United States has imposed emergency travel restrictions on travelers from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan following a growing outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, drawing concern from African health authorities who warned against punitive measures that could undermine outbreak response efforts. In an order issued
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Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Catches Africa Off Guard
Michael Gwarisa Barely six months after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the end of its last Ebola outbreak in December 2025, another deadly outbreak has emerged, this time involving the rare Bundibugyo strain, raising fears of wider regional spread and exposing major weaknesses in outbreak preparedness across Africa. The outbreak has now
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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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Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Is Not a Zoonotic Disease
By Michael Gwarisa Health authorities in Harare have confirmed a sharp rise in cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) since October 2025, emphasizing that the illness is not a zoonotic disease, meaning it cannot be transmitted from animals to humans. “The disease apparently is different from what we find in cattle, the foot
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