Malawi death toll rises to 447 as storm Freddy recovery begins

Malawi death toll rises to 447 as storm Freddy recovery begins

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 Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Mozambique deals with flooding in aftermath of Storm Freddy

Mozambique deals with flooding in aftermath of Storm Freddy

Authorities in Mozambique say excessive rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Freddy continue to threaten the southern African nation, with the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) forecasting rains of 200 millimeters through Monday in the Gaza, Manica, Inhambane, and Sofala. The storm’s landfall on Friday followed two weeks of…

SA’s Biovac seals deal to produce cholera vaccines in Africa

SA’s Biovac seals deal to produce cholera vaccines in Africa

South Africa’s Biovac has announced a deal with the nonprofit International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to begin manufacturing cholera vaccines, a move that will advance the African continent’s goal of manufacturing its own vaccines. The licensing and technology transfer deal will mean that Biovac is equipped to make oral cholera vaccines…

EU commits €105 million to Horn of Africa relief

The European Union has announced €105.5 million in aid to Horn of Africa nations facing not just the coronavirus pandemic but also ongoing conflict, severe flooding and a months-long locust infestation that has destroyed crops and threatened food security. Somalia and Ethiopia will share €90 million nearly equally, while Kenya…

Somali aid workers warn of flood-related health crisis

Recent flooding has brought disaster to parts of Somalia, with heavy Deyr-season rains sending the Shabelle and Juba rivers over their banks and forcing some 273,000 people from their homes in the southern part of the nation. That’s raised fears of malaria and other disease outbreaks in the affected regions….

Zimbabwe cholera crisis surpasses 5,000 cases

City official in Harare are implementing emergency measures to contain the cholera outbreak that has claimed 30 lives in less than two weeks. The reported cholera cases now exceed 5,000, with typhoid also reported in Zimbabwe. The actions include suspension of street vendors, which have numbered to 20,000 in the…

Somalia’s cholera outbreak linked to drought, climate

World Health organization officials say an “unprecedented” outbreak of cholera in Somalia is linked to the drought that began in October 2016, creating widespread shortages of clean drinking water and food. There are more than 40,000 suspected cases since the beginning of the year, with nearly 700 deaths to date,…

Physician’s letter in Lancet casts new shadow on Tedros WHO bid

The physician who leads the Africa Tobacco-Free Initiative has spoken out against candidate Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia, just as the final vote for World Health Organization Director-General (WHO DG) looms next week. Dr. Frank Ashall, in an open letter published online Friday in the well-regarded British medical journal The…