By Henry Opondo A new report by UNAIDS shows that countries are getting on the Fast-Track, with an additional one million people accessing treatment in just six months (January to June 2016). By June 2016, around 18.2 million [16.1 million–19.0 million] people had access to the life-saving medicines, including 910 000 children, double the number…
Malaria: First vaccine to pilot in sub Saharan Africa
The WHO has confirmed that the world’s first malaria vaccine will be rolled out in pilot projects in sub-Saharan Africa after securing funding for the initial phase of the programme. Vaccinations are due to begin in 2018. The vaccine, known as RTS,S, acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most…
Cancer: Africa taking the bull by the horn
By Henry Opondo Reports from the many African representatives at the ongoing World Cancer Congress in Paris show a continent just waking up to the cancer challenge. From Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania in Eastern Africa to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa in Southern Africa to Sierra Leone in West Africa, the picture painted at the…