The Hidden Health Toll of Urban Heat: Africa’s Concrete Jungles and the Rise of Climate-Sensitive Diseases
By Michael Gwarisa Africa is battling a number of adverse climatic catastrophes, and over the past five years, climate change is no longer a distant threat across the continent. In African cities, it has become an everyday reality, intensifying urban heat and deepening public health risks. Rising temperatures, prolonged heatwaves, and shrinking green spaces are combining
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Suspended HIV Services Resume in Masvingo as CAB-LA, Vaginal Ring Return for Key Populations
By Michael Gwarisa, recently in Masvingo For the past 12 months, Wellington*, a 41-year-old Masvingo man who has sex with men (MSM) and a male sex worker, has relied on oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce his risk of HIV infection. He has also used condoms and occasionally Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). At the start of 2025,
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A 75-Seater Bus of Newborns Crashes Every 12 Hours in Zimbabwe. We Must Hit the Brakes
By Michael Gwarisa Every twelve hours in Zimbabwe, an unimaginable tragedy unfolds. A fully loaded 75-seater bus carrying newborn babies crashes, leaving no survivors. The nation would demand answers, declare emergencies, and mobilize every resource to prevent another disaster. Yet this exact horror plays out in silence daily. According to the 2023-24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health
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16 percent Childhood Asthma Prevalence in Harare: ACACIA Study
By Kudakwashe Pembere With childhood asthma becoming increasingly prevalent in Africa’s major cities, a new study has found that Harare has a childhood asthma prevalence rate of 16%, the Achieving Control of Asthma in Children in Africa (ACACIA) study findings stated. The study was an observational study aimed at gathering evidence on paediatric asthma in urban areas of Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, South
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I Wasn’t Ready to Go Blind’: Zimbabwean Woman Shares Her Glaucoma Battle
By Michael Gwarisa Sixteen years ago, these words shattered Barbara Manjonjo’s world: “I’m sorry, your condition can’t be corrected with eye spectacles. All you can do now is prepare yourself, you’re going to go blind.” This was her optician delivering the devastating news back in 2009. She was only 37 at the time. Today, she is approaching
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Zimbabwe Medical Doctor Launches ColpoPen, An AI Tool To Screen Cervical Cancer
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe continues to lose over 1,000 women to cervical cancer annually, with data showing that an estimated 3,043 women are diagnosed with the disease each year. Despite this grim reality, access to screening services for women in Zimbabwe remains a challenge due to a myriad of factors, including lack of knowledge and awareness,
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Health Portfolio Committee to Address Sanitary Wear Petition Next Week
By Michael Gwarisa For many schoolgirls in rural Zimbabwe, menstruation is more than just a biological process, it is a barrier to education. Rumbidzai Magwere, a schoolgirl from Mvurwi, knows this all too well. “There are no pads in our school. Sometimes my period starts while I’m in class, and I am unprepared. It is embarrassing
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World Vision Zimbabwe Launches ENOUGH Campaign to Tackle Child Hunger
By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to combat child hunger and improve health and learning outcomes, World Vision Zimbabwe has launched the ENOUGH Campaign, set to reach approximately 2.5 million children across the country’s 10 provinces. Launched globally in 2024, the campaign is a call to action for governments, organizations, and communities to unite in ensuring
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Zimbabwe Considers Cost Recovery Strategy For Family Planning Products
By Michael Gwarisa Amid growing donor fatigue and declining international support, Zimbabwe is pursuing a cost recovery framework for contraceptive commodities to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of reproductive health services. Spearheaded by the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and other partners, this initiative
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Family led MAUC: Fighting Malnutrition amid El-Nino drought
By Caroline Chiimba Placing mothers at the center of malnutrition screening strategies acknowledges that they are in the best position to detect the earliest signs of malnutrition in their children. Using a multifaceted approach to fighting malnutrition in vulnerable communities, the EU funded ‘Enhanced Resilience for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe’ (ERVHIZ) project trained more that
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