Lenacapavir, trialed in Uganda, offers 100% protection but will it reach those who need it most? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Thanks to a landmark deal announced on July 9 by the Global Fund, Uganda is expected to be among the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to get access to …
Read More »Massive medical waste crisis deepens concern to communities
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)-managed dumpsite in Kiteezi, Jennifer Namulondo, a resident of Lusanja, has noticed a disturbing trend. Although the site was temporarily closed, she says piles of garbage are still being dumped in the area. As she told URN, what …
Read More »Majority of U.S. adults say child care costs ‘major problem’
NEW YORK | Xinhua | Americans overwhelmingly view the cost of child care as a significant issue, and most support initiatives to offer free or low-cost day care and to require employers to provide paid family leave for parents of babies, according to a poll released Thursday. About three-quarters of …
Read More »Global Fund announces plans to procure HIV drug for poor countries
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has announced that it has signed an access agreement with Pharmaceutical Company Gilead Sciences to procure lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable for HIV prevention, for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This development, which …
Read More »Experts Warn: Africa could record more high risk diseases in 2025
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | THE INDEPENDENT | Officials at the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have reported an increase in high-risk events, saying many countries on the continent are currently experiencing multiple outbreaks. Speaking during the weekly press conference, Professor Yap Boum II, the Deputy Head …
Read More »No Water From the Tap: They’re asked to pay a tax anyway
With Chinese bank loans overdue, Harare charges residents for major upgrades that were never completed. Harare, Zimbabwe | Linda Mujuru Global Press Journal ZIMBABWE | The cholera outbreak that swept through Zimbabwe in 2008-2009 killed more than 4,000 people and sickened nearly 100,000. Parts of Harare and its surrounding suburbs were especially …
Read More »Medics urge parents to embrace sickle cell screening for newborns
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Medical professionals at St Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu City have urged parents to embrace mandatory sickle cell screening for newborns as part of an effort to tackle the rising burden of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) among children. The call, according to medics, would …
Read More »10,000 new HIV infections could occur over the next 5 years due to PrEP money cuts
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | HIV incidence and related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa could significantly increase following the suspension of funding for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a new modelling study warns. The pre-print study, led by Dr. Jack Stone, Associate Professor …
Read More »Agago to vaccinate 82,000 cattle in massive campaign
Agago, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Agago District Veterinary Department, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), is conducting a comprehensive cattle vaccination campaign to protect livestock from the spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), a contagious viral disease that affects cloven animals such as …
Read More »Tests confirm cholera outbreak in Amuru
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health authorities have confirmed an outbreak of cholera in Elegu Town Council, in Amuru district, after 14 suspected samples tested at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital Laboratory turned positive. The samples were referred last week after 14 people, including a four-year-old child, presented with acute …
Read More »