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How the genomics revolution could finally help Africa
It took a public-health disaster for the Zimbabwean government to recognize the power of precision medicine. In 2015, the country switched from a standard three-drug cocktail for HIV to a single-pill combination therapy that was cheaper and easier for people to take every day. The new drug followed a World Health Organization recommendation to incorporate the antiretroviral drug efavirenz as a first-line therapy for public-health programmes. But as tens of thousands of Zimbabweans were put onto the drug, reports soon followed about people quitting it in droves.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public health
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Microinsurance penetration set to increase in Tanzania
In March Jamii, a local start-up offering micro-health insurance services, announced ambitious plans to expand into East and Central Africa this year.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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‘Superglue’ Helps In Rapid Creation Of Robust & Novel Vaccines
SpyBiotech will utilize biochemical "superglue" to aid the rapid development of robust and novel vaccines. The company derived their name from "Streptococcus pyogenes" (Spy), the causative agent of a number of infections.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- vaccines
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DRC: Running against time
Brazilian administrator Fabio Biolchini has just returned from a year with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)'s emergency team in Democratic Republic of Congo, responding to epidemics and other crises across the breadth of this vast country.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How poor vaccine supply systems put thousands of Kenyans at risk
Outdated vaccine supply and distribution systems are delaying and limiting the impact of vaccines, placing the health of millions of people at risk, according to new articles published in Vaccine journal. The researchers note that one in every three countries in the world experiences at least one stockout of at least one vaccine for at least one month, while 19 to 38 per cent of vaccines worldwide are accidentally exposed to freezing temperatures, potentially compromising the potency of those vaccines.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Quest for new antibiotics gets first major funding from global partnership
A major global partnership aimed at fighting superbugs announced Thursday that it is investing up to $48 million in research projects, including potentially the first new classes of antibiotics in decades, to target the deadliest drug-resistant bacteria.
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- Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- research
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Freezing, shortages among global vaccine challenges
A special supplement to the journal Vaccine published yesterday aims to measure the biggest challenges to global vaccine campaigns today, noting that vaccine stockouts—or complete unavailability of vaccines—occur at least monthly, while 19% to 38% of vaccines worldwide are subjected to improper refrigeration practices.
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- Health Care
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Vodacom launches mobile solutions for expecting mums
Vodacom through one of their platforms, Siyakha which means ‘we are building’ in isiZulu, has launched a mobile solution called Mum and Baby that offers maternal support to expectant mothers.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa