Health

New WHO report highlights how big industry fuels chronic diseases, obstructs health policy and targets vulnerable people A pioneering report from the WHO Regional Office for Europe spells out clearly how specific powerful industries are driving ill-health and premature mortality across Europe and central Asia, including through interfering in and influencing prevention and control efforts for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such …

Plans to eliminate the blinding disease trachoma from 16 African countries have been boosted with $36.5m (about €34.24) in new funding. Twelve of the countries supported through the Accelerate programme, led by the non-profit Sightsavers, hope to eliminate trachoma by 2027 and three will make significant progress towards this goal in that time.  Trachoma begins as a bacterial infection, with symptoms similar …

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has joined Sightsavers in the global fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), with a grant of US$2.19 million to help eliminate the blinding disease in Zambia. The funding was announced at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum in Dubai where a total of $777m US dollars were pledged to help fight the 21 conditions classed …

600 health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa use solar-powered lights and energy systems to stay open for longer. Expectant mothers in rural Africa no longer give birth in darkness, thanks to off-grid solar energy provided by d.light ……… PALO ALTO, CA., USA, AND NAIROBI, KENYA – 21 August 2023 – 600 health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa are able to provide care …

Hon (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has re-emphasised the need for diaspora skills transfer for efficient service delivery in the healthcare sector in Nigeria. Ms Dabiri-Erewa stated this when she received Dr Monica Simi Alabi, a Nigerian-UK based specialist in Healthcare Policy and Leadership, in her office in Abuja. The NiDCOM chief noted that …

In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi, CEO of Gosab Care GmbH, explains the opportunities for self-employment in the care sector in Germany for Africans and how you can easily get started in the business. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur runs three companies – Gosab Personalmanagement und Consulting, Gosab Care GmbH and Gosabflex GmbH, from Cologne with branches …

WHO has announced the appointment of Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi (MD, MPH) as Director of the Global Malaria Programme, effective 8 April 2023. Dr Ngamije served as the Rwandan Minister of Health from February 2020 to November 2022. During this time, he led the development and execution of the Health Sector Strategic Plan as well as the development and implementation …

Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the German Africa Award to bioinformatician Prof. Tulio de Oliveira of Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and virologist Dr. Sikhulile Moyo of the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership at the Allianz Forum in Berlin on Friday evening, 25 November 2022. The award not only recognises the personal achievements of Prof. de Oliveira and Dr. Moyo, who have …

The World Health Summit (WHS) took place recently in Berlin, Germany. Held between 16-18 October, 2022, it brought together people from Academia, Business and Government from over 140 countries to outline a road map for improving global health. Our Contributing Editor, Dr Michael Nnaji* attended the event and reports. The Word Health Summit, which has just concluded in Berlin, Germany, …

A Nigerian physician, Osahon Enabulele, has assumed office as president of the World Medical Association (WMA), a global association of physicians. Enabulele, a Consultant in Family Medicine at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, was sworn in as the 73rd President of the WMA for 2022 to 2023 on Friday (7 October), at the Annual General Assembly of …

Ghanaian-born Swiss-based Analytical Psychologist and Psychotherapist Esther Abena Keller calls attention to the increasing psychological and mental health risks of Africans in the Diaspora, who are challenged in specific ways, socially, economically and politically. Dr Keller identifies the specific reasons why diaspora Africans are especially susceptible to mental health challenges and what could be done to address these challenges ——– …

DAKAR, Senegal, May 31, 2022/ — President Macky Sall of Senegal has inaugurated the world’s largest purpose-built hospital ship and committed to accelerate access to surgical, obstetric and anesthetic care for the nations of Africa. Ceremonies commemorated more than 30 years of service in Africa were held on Monday in Dakar. International humanitarian organization Mercy Ships and its partners in …

Under the patronage of His Excellency Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union, medical experts and health ministers gather for Breakthrough Symposium in DakarFollowing a three-day International Symposium bringing together medical experts from 29 African countries, Ministers of Health from around the continent converged in an historic moment to …

International Symposium on Strengthening Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthetic Care Systems in Africa to be hosted on 4-6 May by the Government of Senegal —– Hosted by the Government of Senegal and with the support of Mercy Ships and other partners, the event consists of a meeting of 200 healthcare experts and a summit of Ministers of Health, held in Dakar, …

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test, the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced on Monday. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Federal Government, made the comment during a press briefing of the PSC in Abuja at which he announced a …

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, March 16, 2022/ — The 37,000-gt Global Mercy was welcomed in Rotterdam, Netherlands over the last two weeks as the ship opened its doors to the public and global dignitaries for tours before it will begin active service in May in Dakar, Senegal – the first of many missions in the next 50 years on the African continent. …

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved the first malaria vaccine in history. WHO experts concluded that the vaccine, Mosquirix, could save tens of thousands of lives every year, saying “the real-world test of the jab showed it prevented 30% of severe cases of malaria even in areas with high uptake of other measures, such as bed nets impregnated with insecticide.” …

New study shows huge opportunity in digital health with 41% of internet users in Africa regularly using their mobile phones to search for health information. It tells the story of a continent on the cusp of digital health transformation. ——JOHANNESBURG, South Africa,, August 24, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- There has been an exponential rise in the number of people engaging …

LAGOS, Nigeria, 2 June 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The END Fund, a private philanthropic initiative solely dedicated to ending the five most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), today announced their partnership with IHS Nigeria, the leading telecom infrastructure service provider company, to tackle prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Ekiti State, in the southwestern part of Nigeria. The generous planned …

Since the start of the pandemic, there’s been plenty of talk about how we can make sure our immune system is working at its best – which has led people to try everything from taking vitamin supplements to exercising regularly. Here’s why a healthy lifestyle may be key to fighting off bacteria and viruses. —– How Does The Immune System …