While Africa Day (May 25th), the official day of the African Union (AU) marking intercontinental unity, takes place solemnly in 2020 on the backdrop of the continued outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus), a recent study of Africa’s youth has showcased continent-wide resiliency, institutional trust, cohesion and collective ‘Afro-Optimism’ in facing the challenges ahead. The results of…
Kenya begins to nationally vaccinate girls with Cervical Cancer Vaccine
Kenya has Friday launched the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the country’s routine immunisation programme. Around 800,000 girls across Kenya will be protected against cervical cancer annually, Sicily Karuiki Cabinet Secretary for Health announced. The vaccines, provided through support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will aim to reach all girls aged 10 in two doses administered six…
Africa bans live elephants exports
The Parties at the 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP 18) of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) voted last Sunday 17 August to end the trade in the live African elephant’s exports, a common practice in Zimbabwe and Botswana. For Foundation Franz Weber (FFW), an organization that…
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…
DR CONGO: Major cholera vaccination campaign kick off
A vaccination campaign against cholera in North Kivu in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that targets over 800,000 people has on Monday been launched. The campaign is being implemented by the DRC Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners and funded by Gavi,…
Gavi initiates Cholera Vaccination campaign in Mozambique
An oral cholera vaccination campaign to protect survivors of Cyclone Idai Started Wednesday in Beira, Mozambique. Funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the campaign will be carried out by the Mozambique Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, including UNICEF, the International Federation of the Red Cross and…
Conference plots for a Global Action against Typhoid and related diseases
The 11th International Conference on Typhoid and Other Invasive Salmonelloses holds in Hanoi, Vietnam and brings together more than 450 researchers, policymakers and advocates dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families suffering from typhoid, paratyphoid and invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella. During this three-day conference hosted by the Coalition against Typhoid, a program…
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…