Faith and vaccination are not mutually exclusive
Religious leaders from the Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities in Kenya recently came out to support the government’s efforts to vaccinate the population against Covid-19. They called on their congregants to shun myths and misconceptions associated with the vaccine and to get vaccinated in order to better protect themselves from severe illness and hospitalisation as
Read MoreDifferent SARS-CoV-2 variants, same prevention strategies
On the 24th of November 2021, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South Africa reported the detection of a new COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC), named B.1.1.529, from a specimen collected on the 9th of November 2021 [1]. Early evidence on this variant suggests that it has a very unusual array of mutations,
Read MoreWHO and Global Fund warn inequalities block progress towards ending AIDS, TB and malaria
Inequities have been widely acknowledged as barriers to achieving global and national goals and targets in HIV, TB and malaria programs. However, the magnitude and extent of underlying health inequalities have remained poorly documented and understood. By Sonali Reddy Until those inequalities are better identified, and their consequences better understood, it will be hard for
Read MoreNCDs and Disability Perspective During The IDD 2021
As Best Non-Communicable Diseases Zimbabwe (BeatNCDs Zim) we join the world in commemorating the International Day of Disability which is celebrated every year on the 4th of December. This year’s theme is “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.” So as people living with NCDs(PLWNCDs) and people
Read MoreFulfilling Our Promise to adolescents and young people
My years of work in HIV prevention have taught me a few things. Among them, one of the important things I have learnt is that if people do not know how to protect themselves or how to access treatment, they will not be able to prevent HIV or lead happy and fulfilling lives with HIV.
Read MoreOwning Our Health in A Borrowed Planet; A Sneak Peak into the Nexus Between Climate Change and Health
By Phillip T Chigiya March 2019 saw a dark cloud hanging over Southern Africa. Cyclone Idai ravaged through four countries leaving a trail of catastrophic destruction in its wake. Idai was recorded as the second-deadliest tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere ever. In the immediate aftermath, over 4000 cases of cholera were reported, with about
Read MoreCOVID-19 In Schools: What Is The Way Forward?
AS the third wave settled, there was a huge outcry for the re-opening of schools, and I personally added my voice to the sentiments. And even today when asked, I would echo the same sentiments too. Prolonged closure of schools is not good for the pupils for several reasons. Not only do they lag behind
Read MoreAccess To Safe Abortion Care Is A Health Need
Recently, two bodies of newly born babies were found in a bin in Harare.[1] Due to a lack of accessible contraceptives during COVID-19, 5000 girls were reported to have fallen pregnant in January alone,[2] and sadly, the abandonment of unwanted babies is one of the outcomes. Unsafe abortions are another. The reality is, this could
Read MoreCOVID-19 Third Wave: Is It Time To Relax?
IF there is one thing I have been yearning for, it’s a return to some kind of normalcy. It’s been such a long journey of restricted lifestyles, and if truth be told, that’s not how we envisage life as human beings. We are social beings, with inborn instincts to mix, mingle, be outdoors, free-spirited and
Read MoreThe “Ndiro ya Baba” Phenomenon:…A closer look at the intra household food distribution in Zimbabwe
TO those who have had a stint with rural life you might have across these phrases, “Musana Wehuku Ndewababa,” loosely translated as “only the father or man of the house is the one who eats the entire Chicken’s back.” In Masvingo it’s called Chiteretere and in some households, women have even been sent packing for
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