Artist reclaims her sexuality | THE INDEPENDENT | New York-based Ugandan artist Leilah Babirye’s hand-carved wood and ceramic sculptures—many of them figures and faces inspired by African masks that seek to expore the diversity of LGBTQI identities—have captured the attention of the international art world. The 36-year old went abroad …
Read More »Herbal skin treatments
Makerere University scientists give traditionalists a boost | THE INDEPENDENT | An organic research group at Makerere University Kampala has embarked on testing the safety, quality and efficacy of herbal remedies in a bid to ensure that only those found safe and effective are used. The group from the university’s …
Read More »WHO: Insulin still out of reach for many a century after discovery
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A century after it was discovered, insulin still remains out of reach for many people living with diabetes, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report published Friday to commemorate the milestone anniversary. Diabetes is characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar which over time, can cause …
Read More »WHO warns of measles outbreaks as countries fail to reach elimination target
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | No new countries have achieved measles elimination target, just a month to the end of the year. This is according to the World Health Organization-WHO. By the end of 2020, 81 countries had succeeded in sustaining their measles elimination status despite the pandemic. WHO reports …
Read More »Shortage of raltegravir worries patients on third line HIV treatment
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | HIV activists have made an outcry about shortages of an expensive HIV drug, raltegravir, which is recommended for decreasing the amount of HIV in the blood. Raltegravir is used by people living with HIV that are on third-line treatment. It is administered as a tablet, …
Read More »Arua city health officials resort to homecare camps as chicken pox cases rise
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health officials in Arua city have embarked on homecare camps to manage the outbreak of chicken pox in Ayiforo, Dadamu and Tanganyika cells in Ayivu division, Arua city. The contagious disease was first observed in Ayiforo cell, three weeks ago after a teenage girl developed …
Read More »African scientists race to test COVID drugs
In a bid to stave off looming disaster, scientists are trying to repurpose drugs used for malaria and other diseases, but infrastructure and recruitment challenges stymie progress | ABDULLAHI TSANNI | For more than a year, Adeola Fowotade struggled to recruit people to a clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments. A …
Read More »Kawempe Hospital maternity full as deliveries triple
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Every hour, about five babies are born at Kawempe National Referral Hospital. According to the Deputy Executive Director, Dr Lawrence Kazibwe, they daily deliver between 100 and 150 babies ever since the second COVID-19 lockdown was lifted. This number is almost triple the 50 …
Read More »Breast cancer in men
Why is it more aggressive than in women? Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Experts at the Uganda Cancer Institute have come out to warn that although breast cancer is common in women, men can also get it and it is more aggressive. Dr. Noleb Mugisha, an oncologist who heads …
Read More »Only one in seven COVID cases detected in Africa
WHO says most tests are carried out on people with symptoms, whereas much of the transmission is driven by those who do not show symptoms | NELSON MANDELA OGEMA | Only one in seven COVID-19 infections are being detected in Africa because of inadequate testing, the WHO said in an …
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