An 83% surge in new COVID-19 cases during the past week in Africa, driven by the Delta and the Omicron variants, is causing fewer deaths than previous surges—but more waves could be building as updated forecasts warn that the continent may not reach 70% vaccine coverage until August 2024, a new World Health Organization (WHO)…
Field Intelligence expands into eleven new cities across East and West Africa
Field Intelligence, the health tech startup that is digitising the supply chain and transforming access to essential, life-saving medicine, has on Wednesday announced its expansion into Rivers, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Delta and Kwara States in Nigeria, and Eldoret, Mombasa, Kisumu and Naivasha in Kenya. Independent and franchise pharmacies can access 1000 unique products, inventory…
African Climate CSOs urge the West to go slow on debt servicing
By Henry Neondo African civil society groups advocating for just and fair climate regimes for the African peoples have urged the west to go slow on their demand on governments in Africa to service their debt at a time when the continent is faced with the twin impacts of COVID-19 and Climate change. Harsen Nyambe, African Union Commission,…
COVAX and World Bank to accelerate vaccine access for developing countries
COVAX and the World Bank will accelerate COVID-19 vaccine supply for developing countries through a new financing mechanism that builds on Gavi’s newly designed AMC cost-sharing arrangement. This allows AMC countries to purchase doses beyond the fully donor-subsidized doses they are already receiving from COVAX. COVAX will now be able to make advance purchases from…
President Kenyatta launches Youth Army To fight Malaria in Kenya
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, Thursday launched the Kenya Malaria Youth Army, a social movement that brings together young people from all the 47 counties of Kenya to champion malaria control and elimination in the country. The Kenya Malaria Youth Army will support advocacy, communication, innovation, and community efforts geared towards ending malaria, improving maternal and…
Organic farming comes to rescue rural farmers in Kenya from COVID-19 impacts
By Gitonga Njeru John Mukumo Mwenda 45 is an organic farmer based in Eastern Kenya in his 45 acre farm in Tharaka Nithi County. His farm is located 187 Kilometres or three and a half hours drive from Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. “I grow different crops on my farm but it entirely depends on…
African governments adopt pro-equity strategies for women, children, and adolescents to accelerate COVID-19 recovery
By Adelyn Wangusi COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health in Africa, governments leaders from Nigeria, South Africa, Liberia, Kenya, and Malawi said at today’s Lives in the Balance: Equity in COVID-19 Response and Recovery meeting, more than 1,000 participants from around world. The two-day Lives in the Balance meeting was…
WHO pauses Ivermectin use to treat COVID-19
A WHO panel has declared that the current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. Instead, the WHO says until more data is available, the drug only is used within clinical trials. Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent, included in WHO essential medicines list for several parasitic diseases. It is used in…