Health

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court has fined a self-styled prophet who sprayed his followers in the face with insecticide as a supposed cure for illness. Pastor Lethebo Rabalago was found guilty by a court in the northwest town of Limpopo of five charges of grievous assault …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria is suffering its worst outbreak of Lassa fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, as local health officials said 72 people had died since the start of this year. “Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak has reached record highs, with 317 laboratory confirmed cases,” …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The word’s fertility experts head to Kampala this week when Uganda hosts an International infertility Symposium, the first of its kind on the African continent. The symposium is scheduled to be held at Kampala Serena Hotel February 28 to March 2 under the theme, “Infertility …

Researchers explain what makes employees happy  Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | What is the key to being happy? More specifically, what is the key to being happy at work? More money, more time off, family benefits? Researchers suggest that they may have found the answers. Unless you’ve been hiding under a …

The doctors and the patients tell their story Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Victor Ndawabo, 58, a Congolese national, was unusually lucky from the moment doctors first discovered he had coronary artery disease (CAD). The condition which presents with dangerous blockage in the vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the …

Kampala, Uganda | TEREZA PULTAROVA | Researchers have developed a new blood test that can detect eight common types of cancer, including the notoriously elusive liver and pancreatic cancers. Some day, doctors may be able to use this method to spot cancers in their early stages — before the onset of …

Amman, Jordan | AFP | Iraqi soldier Abdullah lost his left hand fighting the Islamic State group but now he has a prosthetic one — thanks to a 3D printing lab in Jordan. Abdullah was wounded in a mine blast as Iraqi forces battled to oust the jihadists from Iraq’s …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chairperson of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health and Minister of State Health in the Republic of Uganda Sarah Opendi has said that the region is committed to eliminate HIV/AIDs and preventable maternal and child deaths by 2030. Opendi urged …

Garowe, Somalia | AFP | The new freezers at Somalia’s only forensic laboratory can store thousands of DNA samples, although for now there are just five. The big hope is that they could be the start of a revolution in how the troubled Horn of Africa country tackles its widespread …

Miami, United States | AFP | A precision cancer treatment that targets rare genetic mutations that exist in about 5,000 people in the United States instead of the tumor’s location in the body has shown success in three-quarters of patients, researchers said Wednesday. The medicine, called larotrectinib, is made by …