Novartis expands Africa Sickle Cell Disease program to Uganda and Tanzania
NOVARTIS and its partners have announced the expansion of the Africa Sickle Cell Disease program to East Africa with the signature of two new memoranda of understanding with the Ministries of Health of Uganda and Tanzania. HealthTimes Reporter The program, first launched in Ghana in November 2019, aims to improve and extend the lives of
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People With Blood Group A At Higher Risk Of Severe COVID-19 Illness
LAST week, a genetic study of more than 1,610 COVID-19 patients in Italy and Spain found that people with type A blood had a higher chance of developing severe respiratory failure than people with type O blood (medRxiv 2020, DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.31.20114991). The findings add support to an idea that has been developing since early in
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Coronavirus Scorecard for Africa: Percentage of GDP earmarked for combating COVID-19
Governments’ response to COVID-19 has in most cases involved earmarking a significant percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – the standard measure of a country’s productive wealth – towards fighting the pandemic. Although this is only part of most governments’ broad-spectrum policy response to the disease, it is an important measure as it indicates governments’
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FDA Approves Dolutegravir Tablets for Oral Suspension for Children With HIV
OFFICIALS with the FDA have approved dolutegravir (Tivicay PD, ViiV Healthcare) dispersible tablets for oral suspension for children who are at least 4 weeks of age and weigh at least 3 kg, according to a press release. SOURCE: DRUG TOPICS This approval marks the first ever dispersible tablet formulation of dolutegravir, which are used in
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Bill & Melinda Gates Pledges US$1.6 billion To Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, To Protect The Next Generation With Vaccines
THE Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a five-year, US$1.6 billion commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to deliver lifesaving vaccines to the world’s poorest countries. The commitment was announced at the Global Vaccine Summit 2020, hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom. Funding secured today for Gavi’s next strategic period
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28 Million Surgeries Could Be Cancelled worldwide: The Collateral Damage To Other Medical Services
THE current COVID-19 pandemic is the defining crisis of our time and has seized the collective attention of the world. However, the potential collateral damage threatens to add to the effects of COVID-19 for years after the post-pandemic period. 28.4 million surgical procedures will be postponed or cancelled according to a new study published in
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Rasha Kelej creates a song by singers from 11 African countries to support medical workers during Coronavirus battle
Rasha Kelej: I have directed and produced for the first time, a song by singers from 11 African countries for the first time together in three languages; English, French and Arabic to show our support for medical workers around the world. This is my personal contribution towards the response to Coronavirus pandemic. In what has
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WHO Releases New Guidance For Outdoor Events And Mass Gatherings Amid Pandemic
As leading countries move towards establishing normalcy, World Health Organization (WHO) issued guidelines on mass gathering amid the pandemic. SOURCE: THE REPUBLICWORLD.COM As leading countries move towards establishing normalcy, World Health Organization (WHO) issued guidelines on mass gathering amid the pandemic. The new guidelines, which include suggestions such as holding gathering outside, inviting only healthy
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COVID-19 To Cause 1.4 Million TB Deaths
KNCV Tuberculosis (TB) Foundation (KNCV) has warned of a spike TB deaths over the next five years due to failure to diagnose and treat new cases during the prevailing lockdwons being observed at a global level. By Michael Gwarisa Agnes Gebhard, technical director of KNCV said an estimated 20 percent more TB patients are expected to
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COVID-19 and clinical distancing
THE International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has today described the development of two novel devices, a negative pressure procedural tent and a portable helmet device, as having the potential to protect healthcare workers and transform the care of COVID-19 patients across the globe. The devices were developed by a team of
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