By Kalongo Chitengi For over a century the world has marked the month of March with tributes to women for strides made in elevating women’s achievements. The 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD) theme #EachforEqual reminds us that this period of celebration is also about the pursuit to live in an equitable world where women’s…
New global plan to end TB
The Stop TB Partnership launched the Global Plan to End TB 2018-2022 that calls for 2.6 billion USD per year for vital research and development of new tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic tools, new drug regimens and a new vaccine, and 13 billion USD per year for TB care and prevention. With the new Global Plan, the…
Proposals to Resume Ivory Sales Roundly Defeated
Two proposals that would have resulted in a resumption of ivory sales by amending the CITES Appendices for the African elephant were roundly defeated today at CITES CoP 18. Proposal 10 would have transferred elephants in Zambia from Appendix I to Appendix II but was amended on the floor to delete sales of raw ivory and include…
ECHO study finds high rates of HIV and STIs among young women in 4 African countries
Henry Opondo New evidence from eSwatini, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia presented at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) in Mexico show high rates of HIV incidence overall among young women in these countries. The highly-publicized Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) trial, which just a few weeks ago finally…
Scale-up of TB prevention among people living with HIV possible, reveals new study
In an important moment for tuberculosis (TB) control, a new study finds that a shorter regimen to prevent TB can be safely co-administered with dolutegravir (DTG)—the first-line drug to treat HIV in many high-burden TB countries. Presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), the study found that weekly administration of rifapentine and…
Project ECHO to Tackle Africa’s Health Challenges spreads
A new collaborative learning and practice platform dedicated to improving health care delivery in Africa is mobilizing powerful new multi-country partnerships and equipping frontline health workers to better combat devastating diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, cancer, cholera, and Ebola. On February 18-19, Project ECHO will conduct an immersion workshop training in Johannesburg, South Africa, for around…
Southern Africa records lowest new TB cases
By Henry Opondo Southern Africa is a region that has witnessed the highest annual declines in new cases of tuberculosis, a new WHO’s 2018 Global TB Report, released in New York Tuesday shows. Countries such as Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are experiencing reduction rates that range between 4-8%, thanks to better…
Water pumps – a much-needed solution for municipalities
Several countries across Africa face ongoing power delivery challenges, with municipalities struggling to meet the demands of citizens and businesses, and load shedding which has again become a harsh reality, particularly in South Africa. A solution to these challenges will require the involvement of numerous stakeholders, but one power-saving solution has the potential to deliver…