Health

Children aged five to 17 months old in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi to test it Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been chosen to test the world’s first malaria vaccine through a pilot program beginning next year, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on April 24. The vaccine, which has partial effectiveness …

Treated mosquito nets are vital in the fight against malaria. But the average lifespan of a net is about four years. The Conversation Africa’s Health and Medicine Editor Joy Wanja Muraya asked Dr Lydiah Kibe to explain how old and torn bed nets are being reused in coastal Kenya.   …

Lahore, Pakistan | AFP |  Pakistani investigators have uncovered an illegal kidney donation racket and arrested six people, including two doctors, after raiding a house where unauthorised surgeries were reportedly underway, a senior official told AFP Monday. Authorities say the gang was involved in selling kidneys to international clients, particularly …

Liberia tests mystery illness after 11 unexplained deaths Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Liberia said Friday that samples from people struck down by a mystery illness are being tested abroad after 11 unexplained deaths, though Ebola has been ruled out. The unidentified illness has affected 19 people in Greenville, southeastern …

Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the latest estimates from WHO, more than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. Lack of support for people with mental disorders, coupled with a fear …

KAVERA: The Very Hungry Caterpillar joins fight against plastic pollution Polyethylene Paris, France | AFP |  A moth caterpillar commonly bred to provide fish bait feasts on a notoriously resistant plastic, scientists reported Monday, raising hopes the creature can help manage the global problem of plastic-bag pollution. “This discovery could be …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A new malaria vaccine will be tested on a large scale in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi, the World Health Organization said Monday, with 360,000 children to be vaccinated between 2018 and 2020. The injectable vaccine RTS,S could provide limited protection against a disease that killed …

Paris, France | AFP |  A French artist who hatched nine eggs after sitting on them for three weeks has been condemned by an animals rights group for depriving the chicks of a mother. Abraham Poincheval hardly slept in the 23 days he spent nesting inside a glass vitrine in …

Rome, Italy | AFP | In a potentially landmark case, an Italian court has ruled that excessive, work-related use of a mobile phone caused an executive to develop a benign brain tumour. In a ruling handed down on April 11 but only made public on Thursday, the court in the northern …

Bangkok, Thailand | AFP |  Thai authorities arrested a man trying to smuggle six vials of sperm into Laos, a customs officer said Thursday, the latest sign that a commercial surrogacy industry is growing in the opaque communist country following curbs around the region. The 25-year-old was arrested in the …