Zimbabwe’s HPV Vaccination Coverage Nosedives
By Kudakwashe Pembere The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage is failing to recover from the harsh effects of the COVID-19 era with data showing that the country is off-trail and coverage has plummeted to record low levels. Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora told this publication on the side-lines of the World Health Day
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Zimbabwe Makes Inroads In Addressing Severe NCDs Through The PEN-Plus Strategy
By Michael Gwarisa According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) data, more than 560 000 avoidable deaths occur annually among the world’s poorest children and young adults with nearly 100 000 of these deaths being caused by only four conditions namely Type 1 diabetes mellitus, sickle cell disease, rheumatic and congenital heart disease. Just like most
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Turning Lemons into Lemonade: How Type 1 Diabetic Survivor Tinotenda Dzikiti Is Conquering The World Stage
By Michael Gwarisa At age 13, in 2010, Tinotenda Dzikiti accompanied his parents for the Christmas holidays in the village. Unbeknown to him, his life was about to change in the coming few days. What started as normal festive mood cravings for fizzy drinks, food and sweet things later turned out to be symptoms of Type
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Survivors’ Voices Drive Push for Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease in Africa
By Michael Gwarisa Globally, about 8 Million people live with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), according to the Lancet 2023 data. The disease is largely prevalent in populations with ancestral ties to Sub-Saharan Africa, regions in the Western Hemisphere namely, South America, the Caribbean, and Central America), Saudi Arabia, India and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey,
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Communities A Vital Cog In Addressing Severe NCDs In Africa-Dr Benido
By Michael Gwarisa Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), continue to exert unwarranted pressure on Africa’s healthcare system, with data from the 2022 World Health Organisation (WHO) NCDs progress monitor estimating that between 50 percent and 88 percent of deaths being recorded in seven African countries, mostly small island nations, are due to non-communicable disease. The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
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Over 500 new sickle cell anemia cases detected within nine months: Sickle Cell Anemia Trust Zimbabwe
By Kudakwashe Pembere and Michael Gwarisa A survey done by Sickle Cell Anemia Trust Zimbabwe (SCATZ) at a clinic launched nine months ago in Bindura found over 500 new sickle cell anemia cases, HealthTimes has learnt. Speaking to this publication after a National AIDS Council (NAC) organized media workshop in Chinhoyi said these were mostly children.
Read MoreFacts About Vaccine Derived-Polio Virus Circulating In Zimbabwe
By Michael Gwarisa In November 2023, Zimbabwe’s environmental surveillance system picked a vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV) strain, circulating in the sewage system in Harare’s high density suburbs namely Budiriro, Mbare and Mufakose. A similar variant was detected in a 10-year-old child from Sanyati District in Mashonaland, West Province. The child has since developed paralysis following
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COVID-19 VACCINATION: The Facts
THE COVID-19 third wave has been something else in Zimbabwe. It has exceeded the damage causes by the first and second waves combined by a huge margin, and many lives have been claimed. Several families have lost two or more members, and the extent of social disruption is unimaginable. I have come across families that have lost both
Read MoreZim launches UNICEF-Eli-Lilly initiative to fight pediatric and adolescent NCDs
THE United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) -Eli Lilly initiative to assist the Zimbabwean government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in children was launched on Thursday at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. By Kudakwashe Pembere Funded by UNICEF to the tune of US$2.5 million, this four-year project
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