Scientists in Nigeria say they’re studying the Usutu virus, originally found in South Africa, to better understand how viruses carried by migratory birds might one day affect humans in a world of changing climate impacts. “There hasn’t been much study done of Usutu, so we’re trying to cover the gap,”…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The World Health Organization (WHO) says cholera cases in 2022 more than doubled from the previous year, with reported cases in 44 countries. The cholera statistics released Friday found large outbreaks in seven countries, five of them on the African continent. Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Nigeria and…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
In Libya, officials are focusing on health concerns following the catastrophic flooding at the weekend in Derna and other northern coastal communities. “In the wake of the floods, as the death toll rises, health needs have become more urgent,” said the World Health Organization in Libya. “There are at least…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Humanitarian aid workers with Doctors Without Borders are scaling back their work at a site in the Central African Republic due to continued violent attacks including armed robberies and sexual assault. The organizations said two “grave incidents” at their site in and around the town of Batangafo occurred in the…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A genetic change that occurs only in people of African descent may offer clues that lead to improved HIV treatment, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. The authors say the study also underscores the importance of research specific to Africans. “Although there have been large studies…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A theater project that takes health education to Malawi is getting some renewed attention at the SEB Centenary Conference 2023 in Scotland, where Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) participants learned about the drama-based techniques used to communicate the risks of African sleeping sickness in Rumphi and Nkhotakota. The sleeping sickness,…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
When cases of pediatric hydrocephalus soared in East Africa, with an estimated 4,000 annual cases in Uganda alone, doctors didn’t know why. Neither did mothers, who said their babies were born normally but a severe infection in the first weeks of life led to cerebrospinal fluid building up in their…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
They call it the pangenome: a new type of human genome that takes a more genetically diverse approach than the first human genome, released for research purposes about 20 years ago. This new model includes a breadth of diversity drawn from 47 people across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and beyond….
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Namibian authorities have reported a fatal case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and said they’re following at least 27 contacts for possible exposure, with two dozen health workers counted among them. The male patient fell ill in Gobabis, a town not far from Namibia’s eastern border with Botswana, according to…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Floods and landslides that claimed more than 400 in lives in Democratic Republic of Congo also have blocked roads, cutting off some of the most affected villages and complicating recovery efforts. “These people need help now,” said Peter Musoko, country representative for the World Food Program, who visited the Kalehe…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Authorities in Senegal are reporting a case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a disease transmitted by ticks and infected animals that results in death in up to 40% of cases. The Ministry of Health of Senegal said the case was confirmed in a 35-year-old butcher living in Guédiawaye, just northeast…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Authorities in Sudan report a “high risk of biological hazards” following the seizure of a health facility where polio, measles and cholera isolates are stored but the samples are now completely out of their control. “It is occupied by one of the fighting parties,” said Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, the…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
South Africa is moving forward with plans to produce mRNA vaccines at a facility in Cape Town, where leaders including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization were on hand for a ribbon-cutting at the technology hub facility launched by biotech firm Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines. Afrigen has…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
African countries account for seven of the 10 most at-risk nations for climate disaster, according to a new report from the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The organization, with global headquarters in the United States, put Somalia at the top of the list due to its extreme food insecurity made worse…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The death toll following tropical storm Freddy has risen to at least 447 in hard-hit Malawi, where President Lazarus Chakwera has declared a two-week period of mourning and closed schools in affected areas through the end of the month. Another 282 people were still missing as of Saturday, according to…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times