Health

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared an epidemic of measles which may have killed 1,500 people, according to statistical analysis. “We have been seeing an increase in the number of suspected cases of measles since the start of the year, …

High-intensity exercise may restore heart function | THE INDEPENDENT | Type 2 diabetes can sometimes result in a loss of heart function. However, the results of a new study suggest this function may be recovered through high-intensity exercise. Around 500,000 people in Uganda or about 1.4% of the population have …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tobacco products like cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco contain nicotine, a heavily addictive substance that exposes people to the extremely harmful effects of tobacco dependency. Medical experts say that nicotine causes the release of dopamine, a chemical that affects emotions, movements, sensations of pleasure …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Virus Research Institute-UVRI is to start a new trial aimed at reducing the dosage of the yellow fever vaccine. During the trial, a fifth of the yellow fever dosage 0.1 millilitres will be given to participants. The global recommended dose of yellow …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Diseases of the upper respiratory system are on the rise in boarding schools possibly due to congestion in dormitories, according to medics. Most common among them is Tuberculosis and Rheumatic fever, an inflammatory disease that develops as a complication of inadequately treated strep …

It may prevent insulin resistance | ANA SANDOIU | New research adds to the mounting evidence that fasting may be helpful in the fight against obesity and its related conditions. By increasing certain proteins, the practice may protect against metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and liver disease, but the ‘timing of and …

  Paris, France | AFP | Humans eat and breathe in tens of thousands of microplastic particles every year, according to a new analysis Wednesday that raised fresh questions over how plastic waste could directly impact our health. Microplastics — tiny plastic shards broken down from man-made products such as synthetic …

Assembly discusses cost of medicine, environment, climate change Member States at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland have agreed a new global strategy on health, environment and climate change: the transformation needed to improve lives and well-being sustainably through healthy environments. The annual gathering organised by the UN’s World …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A woman identified as Doreen Akoth is suing International Hospital Kampala-IHK for negligence during a surgical procedure that has had lasting effects on her body and lifestyle. Akoth visited International Hospital Kampala for delivery on October 28, 2017, after antenatal visits to Bethesda Hospital …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health workers screening pilgrims at the Uganda Martyrs Shrine, Namugongo are overwhelmed with the numbers amid limited human resource and inadequate supplies. A number of screening centres were set up by the Ministry of Health in the wake of an Ebola crisis that has …