Category: Features

In Uganda, Fake Doctors Cause Serious Damage

GLOBAL PRESS ARTICLES

By Apophia Agiresaasi, GPJ Uganda KAMPALA, UGANDA — Days after an emergency cesarean section at a private clinic, Barbara Kwarikunda experienced excruciating pain. “I couldn’t eat,” she says. “I would feel pain whenever someone touched me. My stomach was swollen. I felt like something was bursting in my uterus.” Visits to the clinic didn’t help. An examination at a public hospital revealed that the people who operated on her left cotton and gauze in her uterus. They also slightly severed her intestine, which caused internal leaking. She required another surgery…

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Two more people with HIV may be cured after stem cell transplants

Michael Gwarisa

Two more people appear to be free of HIV after stem cell transplants for cancer treatment, according to a pair of posters presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2025) this week in San Francisco. If the men remain in remission, they will be the eighth and ninth cases of a functional cure after the procedure. The first man, dubbed the ‘Chicago patient’, experienced viral rebound after an initial antiretroviral treatment interruption but remains in remission 10 months after stopping antiretrovirals a second time. The second man, the ‘Oslo…

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Frontline Warriors: The Women Battling Zimbabwe’s Unsafe Abortion Crisis

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe records an estimated 70,000 illegal abortions annually, primarily due to restrictive abortion laws. Currently, abortion is only legal under limited circumstances, such as when the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life, results from rape or incest, or involves severe fetal impairment. Most women do not qualify under these conditions. Other factors contributing to illegal abortions in Zimbabwe include stigma and cultural beliefs, unwanted and unintended pregnancies, economic hardship, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, rape and incest cases, fear of legal consequences, and pressure from…

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US Claims Ebola Funding Was Restored. Ugandan Health Workers Still Haven’t Seen the Money

GLOBAL PRESS ARTICLES

By Nakisanze Segawa, GPJ Uganda KAMPALA, UGANDA — On Jan. 20, US President Donald Trump abruptly cut funding for the surveillance of and response to an outbreak of the Sudan Ebola virus here. Elon Musk, Trump’s unelected right hand, said in a cabinet meeting on Feb. 26 that the Ebola-response funding was “accidentally” cut but restored immediately. Health workers in Uganda, though, say they’ve seen no sign that the funding has been restored. The United States Agency for International Development administered most of the United States’ foreign aid — until…

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Ebola Breaks Out in Uganda as US Halts Foreign Aid

GLOBAL PRESS ARTICLES

By Nakisanze Segawa, GPJ Uganda KAMPALA, UGANDA — One nurse died from the Sudan Ebola virus in Uganda on Jan. 29. Two more cases were confirmed days later — and hundreds of people were direct contacts. The virus spreads fast, and it’s deadly: The Sudan strain’s fatality rate ranged from 40% to 100% in past outbreaks, and there are no approved vaccines. Now, the United States Agency for International Development, a key partner in treating Ebola and slowing its spread, has stopped all funding for global health and all of…

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Antibiotic Resistance is Here. Millions of People are Dying

GLOBAL PRESS ARTICLES

Reporters:  Aline Suárez del Real,  Edna Namara, Evidence Chenjerai,  Gabriela Meléndez-Rivera,  Lucila Pellettieri,  Odonchimeg Batsukh,  Sunita Neupane For years, Radha Lama bought antibiotics in bulk at a clinic near her home in Kathmandu, Nepal. She took the pills whenever she had a stomachache or headache, without talking to a doctor or nurse, says her daughter Pratikchya Lama. Now, at 57 years old, Radha Lama is on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of Nepal’s Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. She hasn’t been able to breathe on her own since August…

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They Earn More Money, But Some Migrant Health Workers Say It’s Not Worth It

GLOBAL PRESS ARTICLES

By Gamuchirai Masiyiwa, GPJ Zimbabwe HARARE, ZIMBABWE — When Tanya moved to Ireland for care work in 2022, she was certain of three things: Her family would join her soon. Her husband would find work. And her children would attend a good school. Initially, her move was smooth. Visas and permits were no problem. But once in Ireland, reality proved harsh for Tanya, a Zimbabwean who asked Global Press Journal to use her middle name for fear of jeopardizing her visa status. The country’s visa restrictions for the general employment…

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From NAC Media Tour to University: How a HealthTimes Article Opened University Doors for Karoi Girl

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Sometimes, all it takes for a destiny helper to find you is being at the right place at the right time. For Cecilia Mhande (20), from Karoi in Mashonaland West Province, it took her willingness to share her story as a beneficiary of the Sista2Sista program with journalists during the 2024 National AIDS Council (NAC) Editors Media Tour. In 2023, when the Advanced Level (A Level) results were announced, Cecilia was overjoyed to discover she had passed with 11 points. However, her happiness was short-lived, as the…

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Diseases Linked to Wearing Second-Hand Clothes (Mabhero)

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In Zimbabwe, second-hand clothes, locally known as mabhero, have become a popular choice for many due to several reasons. For some, it’s the affordability compared to buying brand-new garments. For others, it’s the allure of vintage fashion, pre-worn items that carry a unique, weathered charm. Major second-hand clothing hubs in Zimbabwe include Sakubva Market in Mutare, as well as Mupedzanhamo and Avondale Markets in Harare. These markets are so popular that even undergarments, such as high-end brands like Victoria’s Secret, are highly sought after by shoppers, especially…

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Critical Gaps in Vital Monitoring Threaten Care Outcomes In Those Ageing With HIV In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa For 21 years, Martha Tholanah (60) has lived with HIV. She has experienced it all, from the days when an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence to today, when people living with HIV can lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Testing positive on January 3, 2003, Martha recalls her heartbreak when health workers informed her that her CD4 count was below 200. I had fallen sick and had to get tested. I had also just been accepted for a new job, so I needed to know where I stood.…

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