Tag Archives: health

Discovering the sweet spot where one does not have to give up one for the other By Thaddeus Metz On the face of it, there are many situations in which doing something that makes us happier fails to make our lives more meaningful. Some recent examples from my life include: …

Lagos, Nigeria| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS| Last week, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, issued a stern warning to soldiers to stay out of politics, raising alarm of a potential coup plot. His statement claimed that individuals had been approaching army officers for political reasons, and cautioned: “Any officer or soldier …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  The first African to head the World Health Organization, Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom, says he aims to replicate his success in turning around his country’s healthcare system on the global stage. The 52-year-old’s campaign focused on overhauling the UN health agency after its much-criticised handling …

Geneva, Switzerland | WHO MEDIA| Today the Member States of WHO elected Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the new Director-General of WHO. Dr Tedros  was nominated by the Government of Ethiopia, and will begin his five-year term on 1 July 2017. He will succeed Dr Margaret Chan, who has been WHO’s Director-General …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | An unlicensed Ebola vaccine could soon be tested in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo hit by an outbreak of the virus, the World Health Organization said Thursday. There is no licensed vaccine for the Ebola virus, but a promising candidate vaccine …

Paris, France | AFP |  Weight-loss balloons swallowed rather than surgically inserted in the stomach were shown to be safe and effective in preliminary trials, according to findings unveiled Thursday at a medical conference. So-called intragastric balloons have been used for decades to help obese patients shed unwanted kilos. Inflated …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP |  When an emergency call comes in from one of South Africa’s most crime-ridden neighbourhoods, ambulances do not rush straight to the scene but to a police station first to request an armed escort. A surge in attacks on ambulance workers has led to …

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has launched a mass distribution of over 390,000 insecticide treated mosquito nets in Kamuli to curb incidents of malaria in the eastern region. The distribution is part of a countrywide effort by the Malaria Control Programme under the Ministry of Health, which commenced in …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigeria on Monday said it had stepped up health surveillance and vigilance was high at entry ports after an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least three people. “The minister has directed the director of health services at the ports to …

Ebola in DR Congo’s isolated far north a logistical challenge Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  An Ebola outbreak in a remote region in DR Congo’s far north poses a logistical challenge for doctors and aid workers although the sheer remoteness could help limit its spread. The latest outbreak of …