WHO, Africa CDC launch US$518 million continental Ebola preparedness plan
Michael Gwarisa The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a US$517.7 million joint continental preparedness and response plan aimed at containing the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and preventing its spread across Africa. The six-month plan, covering June to November 2026, seeks to strengthen surveillance,
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Zimbabwe Sets Up Three Ebola Isolation Centres as Government Activates National Preparedness Plan
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has established three Ebola isolation and treatment centres in Harare, Bulawayo and Chirundu as part of a nationwide preparedness response, even as the country confirms that no cases of Ebola Virus Disease have been reported locally. The Ministry of Health and Child Care says the move is a precautionary measure in response
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Zimbabwe Spends US$27 Million Sugar Tax Funds on Radiotherapy Equipment
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has spent US$27 million raised through the sugar tax on the first phase of a major cancer equipment procurement programme aimed at transforming diagnosis and treatment services in public hospitals. The latest consignment includes two high-capacity multi-energy radiotherapy machines weighing about 22 tonnes, which are expected to significantly strengthen the country’s cancer
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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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Africa Pushes Back Against US Travel Ban Linked to Ebola, Calls for Science-Driven Global Response
Michael Gwarisa African health leaders have pushed back against recent travel restrictions imposed by the United States in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, warning that such measures may undermine coordinated outbreak control efforts and weaken global solidarity. The U.S. recently issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for 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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Delta’s Contribution to Sugar Tax Funding Cancer Care Weighs on Operations
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s sugar tax, introduced in 2024 to help finance cancer drugs, equipment and other health interventions, is increasingly becoming a major financial burden for beverage giant Delta Corporation, which says it and its associate Schweppes Zimbabwe are absorbing millions of dollars in costs to keep soft drinks affordable. The levy, introduced by government
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For Silicosis Patients, Solar Power Means the Difference Between Life and Death
Michael Gwarisa in Kwekwe A few metres away, the wife of 50-year-old Moses Ndaba stands quietly, her face weighed down by worry as she watches her husband struggle to breathe. Clad in a green dress, she reaches into a plastic bag, pulls out an apple and gently hands it to him. Ndaba stares at it
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Has Prostate Cancer
Michael Gwarisa Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyau was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer following routine post-surgical monitoring, but doctors say treatment was successful and the lesion has completely disappeared. According to an official medical report dated April 20, 2026, the Prime Minister had previously undergone treatment on December 29, 2024, for benign enlargement of the
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