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On the whole, communities on the African continent have made greater strides in life expectancy than in any other region of the world, according to a new assessment report from the World Health Organization (WHO). The life expectancy of Africans went up by an average 10 years per person between…

The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency because of the monkeypox outbreak now affecting 75 countries and territories. The decision by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus follows an emergency committee meeting held Thursday, in which the committee remained split on a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)…

Outbreaks of the Ebola virus, monkeypox, and other diseases caused by animal-to-human infection in Africa have spiked by 63% across the last decade, much of that rise occurring in 2019 and 2020 alone. That’s according to a new analysis from the World Health Organization that compares the decade between 2012…

Ghana’s health service is denying reports that a new case of Ebola has been confirmed in the town of Tamale. “You have from the horse’s own mouth,” said Fatimatu Abubaker at a Wednesday press briefing. “We have no reported case of Ebola in Ghana. Please spread the word.” Dr. Patrick…

The United States has pushed back against rumors that the global monkeypox outbreak has its origins in, and spread because of, “U.S.-controlled laboratories” in Nigeria. The claims, shared on social media with calls for a World Health Organization inquiry, are false, the U.S. embassy in Nigeria said in a response…

Another case of monkeypox is under investigation in the United States, one of 12 nations seeing transmission of a virus strain linked to West Africa. The latest case, reported Sunday in the U.S. state of Florida, is believed to be linked to international travel. The World Health Organization says confirmed…

Officials in Mozambique are reporting a polio outbreak, the first in the country since 1992. The case was found in Tete province in the country’s northeast. It was found in a child who experienced paralysis that began in late March, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Tests taken from…

A second person has died of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following reports of a new outbreak in Equateur Province in the northwestern part of the country. The World Health Organization says the 25-year-old woman died after first exhibiting symptoms nearly two weeks ago. She was…

A new case of Ebola virus has emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, claiming the life of a 31-year-old man living in Equateur Province in the northwestern part of the country. The man began having symptoms on April 5 in the city of Mbandaka, according to the World Health…

Sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions most affected by pollution from drugs that find their way into the world’s rivers, according to a study of water samples from across the planet. The research, led by scientists at University of York in the UK, included samples taken from 258 rivers in…

Africa’s struggle with the coronavirus, including the lack of COVID-19 vaccine access, was the focus of a blistering Amnesty International report released Tuesday. Just 8% of the 1.2 billion people on the continent were vaccinated by the end of 2021, with multiple waves of the pandemic having a “devastating impact”…

Public consultations recently closed on plans to impose an excise tax on e-cigarettes in South Africa, and the suggested policy proposals have already proven controversial. In particular, the South African government intends to introduce a new excise tax on e-cigarettes, applying the duty to both non-nicotine and nicotine solutions used…