Cape Coast, Ghana | AFP | Abigal Aguanyi, a trader and mother in the West African nation of Ghana, knows first-hand how dangerous malaria can be — her two-year-old niece nearly died from it. So when she heard that a new vaccine was being rolled out against the disease, that across …
Read More »Gov’t worried about global HPV vaccine shortage
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Health Ministry may not meet its target of vaccinating all girls of ten of age against the Human Papilloma Virus-HPV following a global shortage of the vaccine. The Human Papilloma Virus is a cancer causing virus, which is transmitted by men and can only …
Read More »HPV vaccine is safe, says cancer agency, slams ‘unfounded rumours’
Paris, France | AFP | “Unfounded rumours” causing people to spurn the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was preventing the elimination of cervical cancer, which kills more than 300,000 women every year, health authorities said Monday. To mark World Cancer Day 2019, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a …
Read More »Scientists create bee vaccine to fight off ‘insect apocalypse’
Helsinki, Finland | AFP | Scientists in Finland have developed what they believe is the world’s first vaccine to protect bees against disease, raising hopes for tackling the drastic decline in insect numbers which could cause a global food crisis. Bees are vital for growing the world’s food as they …
Read More »Vaccinating against superbugs
By 2050 some 10 million people across the globe could succumb to drug-resistant diseases Kampala, Uganda | SETH BERKLEY & JEREMY FARRAR | Whether you live below the poverty line in the slums of Karachi or work as a banker on Wall Street, drug-resistant “superbugs” are among the gravest threats to …
Read More »AIDS treatment has progressed
But without a vaccine, suffering still abounds Kampala, Uganda | MAUREEN MILLER | I mentioned to a friend; a gay man nearing 60, that World AIDS Day, which has been observed on Dec. 1 since 1988, was almost upon us. He had no idea that World AIDS Day still exists. This …
Read More »Uganda introduces Measles, Rubella combination vaccine
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Health Ministry has launched a new combination vaccine for both measles and rubella. The two diseases display similar symptoms of fever and skin rash, and both are highly contagious. Measles can be deadly for children with poor nutrition and a weakened immune system and …
Read More »Global HIV prevention conference kicks off in Spain
Scientists explain why they haven’t found an HIV vaccine yet Madrid, Spain | FLAVIA NASSAKA | A global HIV conference opened on Oct.22 in Madrid, Spain bringing together researchers to discuss strides made in prevention of infections. Dubbed HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) 2018, the week long event which happens …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Minister clarifies on fake hepatitis B vaccine
THIS WEEK: Minister clarifies on fake hepatitis B vaccine Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, minister of health, says the falsified Hepatitis B vaccines are not harmful. This was established after the vaccines were subjected to tests and the ministry has now released its findings which …
Read More »Candidate AIDS vaccine passes key early test
Paris, France | AFP | The near 40-year quest for an AIDS vaccine received a hopeful boost Saturday when scientists announced that a trial drug triggered an immune response in humans and shielded monkeys from infection. Shown to be safe in humans, the candidate vaccine has now advanced to the …
Read More »