Health

WHO announces new Director of Global Malaria Programme

WHO has announced the appointment of Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi (MD, MPH) as Director of the Global Malaria Programme, effective 8 April 2023. Dr Ngamije served as the Rwandan Minister of Health from February 2020 to November 2022. During this time, he led the development and execution of the Health Sector Strategic Plan as well as the development and implementation …

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Chancellor Olaf Scholz presents awards to African scientists in Berlin

Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the German Africa Award to bioinformatician Prof. Tulio de Oliveira of Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and virologist Dr. Sikhulile Moyo of the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership at the Allianz Forum in Berlin on Friday evening, 25 November 2022. The award not only recognises the personal achievements of Prof. de Oliveira and Dr. Moyo, who have …

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Make Health a Political Choice — WHO chief

The World Health Summit (WHS) took place recently in Berlin, Germany. Held between 16-18 October, 2022, it brought together people from Academia, Business and Government from over 140 countries to outline a road map for improving global health. Our Contributing Editor, Dr Michael Nnaji* attended the event and reports. The Word Health Summit, which has just concluded in Berlin, Germany, …

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Nigerian doctor takes over World Medical Association as president

A Nigerian physician, Osahon Enabulele, has assumed office as president of the World Medical Association (WMA), a global association of physicians. Enabulele, a Consultant in Family Medicine at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, was sworn in as the 73rd President of the WMA for 2022 to 2023 on Friday (7 October), at the Annual General Assembly of …

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How to Address Diaspora Africans’ Mental Health Challenges

Ghanaian-born Swiss-based Analytical Psychologist and Psychotherapist Esther Abena Keller calls attention to the increasing psychological and mental health risks of Africans in the Diaspora, who are challenged in specific ways, socially, economically and politically. Dr Keller identifies the specific reasons why diaspora Africans are especially susceptible to mental health challenges and what could be done to address these challenges ——– …

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Senegalese leader inaugurates world’s largest hospital ship

DAKAR, Senegal, May 31, 2022/ — President Macky Sall of Senegal has inaugurated the world’s largest purpose-built hospital ship and committed to accelerate access to surgical, obstetric and anesthetic care for the nations of Africa. Ceremonies commemorated more than 30 years of service in Africa were held on Monday in Dakar. International humanitarian organization Mercy Ships and its partners in …

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Safer surgical care in Africa by 2030 — Health Ministers pledge

Under the patronage of His Excellency Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union, medical experts and health ministers gather for Breakthrough Symposium in DakarFollowing a three-day International Symposium bringing together medical experts from 29 African countries, Ministers of Health from around the continent converged in an historic moment to …

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Nigeria scraps pre-departure COVID-19 tests for vaccinated travellers

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test, the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced on Monday. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Federal Government, made the comment during a press briefing of the PSC in Abuja at which he announced a …

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WHO approves first malaria vaccine in history

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved the first malaria vaccine in history. WHO experts concluded that the vaccine, Mosquirix, could save tens of thousands of lives every year, saying “the real-world test of the jab showed it prevented 30% of severe cases of malaria even in areas with high uptake of other measures, such as bed nets impregnated with insecticide.” …

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Pandemic drives use of digital health solutions across Africa

New study shows huge opportunity in digital health with 41% of internet users in Africa regularly using their mobile phones to search for health information. It tells the story of a continent on the cusp of digital health transformation. ——JOHANNESBURG, South Africa,, August 24, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- There has been an exponential rise in the number of people engaging …

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END Fund partners Nigeria to tackle endemic neglected diseases

LAGOS, Nigeria, 2 June 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The END Fund, a private philanthropic initiative solely dedicated to ending the five most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), today announced their partnership with IHS Nigeria, the leading telecom infrastructure service provider company, to tackle prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Ekiti State, in the southwestern part of Nigeria. The generous planned …

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How to Naturally Boost your Immune System

Since the start of the pandemic, there’s been plenty of talk about how we can make sure our immune system is working at its best – which has led people to try everything from taking vitamin supplements to exercising regularly. Here’s why a healthy lifestyle may be key to fighting off bacteria and viruses. —– How Does The Immune System …

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L’Oréal awards research grants to six exceptional young African women scientists

  The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme recognizes South African female Scientists for their groundbreaking research JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, December 17th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- 2020 marks the second edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science South African National Young Talents Programme. The programme supports young female scientists and rewards scientific excellence. Created in 1998 and led by …

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Nigeria appoints Bayern’s David Alaba SDG campaign ambassador

Austrian professional footballer David Olatokunbo Alaba has been appointed by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari as a Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador. Alaba, who plays for German club Bayern Munich and the Austria national team, was appointed to support the country’s efforts towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 6, aimed at providing clean water and sanitation …

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Mental Health in Black Communities: Time to Act

The issue of mental health is one of those taboos among Black people. Even the World Bank identified that ‘Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, affect millions of people worldwide. They impose an enormous global disease burden that leads to premature mortality and affects functioning and quality of life’. It is high time, we in the …

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Sick without papers in Germany: Here’s where to get help

According to estimates, about 1 million people in Germany have no health insurance. There are many reasons for this: mainly because they do not have a regular residency status but also because they cannot afford to pay for health and nursing care insurance as students. There’re organisations that helps people without health insurance, regardless of whether they have legal residency rights or not.

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Refugees easing health insurance costs in Germany

As many refugees that arrive in Germany are younger than the aging native population, they help keep certain medical costs down. However, this is only expected to last for a few years. Kai Dambach reports. The arrival of primarily young migrants and refugees has had a stabilizing effect on statutory health funds in Germany. In 2015 and 2016, most new …

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