Category Archives: Global health

Study of Brazil favela stricken by Zika shows dengue may protect against virus

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Analysis of community where 73% of residents contracted Zika in 2015 offers new clues about epidemic

Scientists studying the 2015 Zika outbreak in Brazil have discovered that people previously exposed to dengue may have been protected from the virus.

Three-quarters of the inhabitants of a favela in the country’s north-east caught the mosquito-borne Zika virus during the epidemic. The outbreak left more than 3,000 babies across Brazil with microcephaly, a birth defect caused by mothers catching the virus during pregnancy.

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Ebola vaccine offered in exchange for sex, Congo taskforce meeting told

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As experts urge global warning over outbreak, women and girls in Beni report alleged exploitation

An unparalleled Ebola vaccination programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become engulfed in allegations of impropriety, amid claims that women are being asked for sexual favours in exchange for treatment.

Research by several NGOs has revealed that a deep mistrust of health workers is rife in DRC and gender-based violence is believed to have increased since the start of the Ebola outbreak in August.

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‘It kills within hours’: two die as cholera outbreak spreads in Ugandan capital

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Health officials battle to stop disease spreading in Kampala slums with lack of toilets and poor sanitation made worse by heavy rains

Two people have died in a new cholera outbreak in the overcrowded slums of Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

The ministry of health confirmed at the weekend that there were 43 suspected cases of cholera in the city and that two people had died. It said an emergency isolation unit had been set up.

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Leading UK child health body under fire over baby milk sponsorship

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Royal College of Paediatrics urged to rethink conference funding amid claims deal contravenes World Health Organization code

The Royal College of Paediatrics has been accused of breaching World Health Organization guidance after it accepted sponsorship funding from baby formula companies.

More than 100 medics and 13 health groups have written to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), urging it to drop Nestlé, Nutricia and Danone from the list of sponsors for its first international conference, to be held in Cairo on 29 January.

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‘People will end up dying’: Trump’s cuts devastate clinics in Zambia | Rebecca Ratcliffe

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Teen pregnancies are soaring and HIV care has stalled in rural communities hit by ‘global gag’ funding cuts

It is under-fives week at Zambia’s Nyangwena health centre and, outside in the morning sunshine, women are taking turns to weigh their babies. A noisy toddler wriggles as his mum places him into the harness of a set of scales. Measurements are taken and, afterwards, ice lollies handed out to children.

Reaching families in the surrounding rural communities is a major challenge for staff at the centre, and, after outreach services were stripped back, things are getting worse.

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Senior WHO official accused of using Ebola cash to pay for girlfriend’s flight

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World Health Organization launches inquiry after claims of ‘legendary’ corruption, including racism and sexism

Claims that a senior employee at the World Health Organization misused Ebola funds to fly his girlfriend to west Africa are among a tide of allegations under investigation by the agency.

An internal inquiry has been launched by the WHO following a series of anonymous whistleblower emails that alleged widespread racism, sexism and misspending.

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Ebola cases in Congo expected to double amid fears outbreak could cross borders

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With health system at breaking point, uncertainty over how virus is being transmitted prompt fears it could range beyond DRC

The number of Ebola cases recorded each day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to more than double, with concern mounting that uncertainty over how the virus is being transmitted could result in it spreading to neighbouring countries.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated its warning that there is a very high risk of the outbreak spreading not only across DRC but also to Uganda, Rwanda and even South Sudan. The heightened danger of transmission is due to extensive travel between the affected areas.

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Ministers smoking in parliament? Jordan must clean up its act | Yousef Shawarbeh

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As mayor of Amman, I am committed to driving down tobacco use, in a country where more than half of all men are smokers

The growth of Amman, the capital of Jordan, is visible everywhere. It is now an international business and financial hub, an arts and culture destination, and a tourism hotspot with thriving nightlife. But what we want it to be known as most of all is a model for how to clear the air of tobacco smoke.

Tobacco in Jordan starts with cigarettes. Smoking rates among men with low incomes are soaring. About 57% of men earning 100-250 Jordanian dinars a month (£110-£275) smoke regularly, and these men spend up to half of their income on cigarettes. Overall, more than half of all men in Jordan smoke cigarettes habitually, the worst rate in the Middle East.

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Safe birth of baby born to Ebola survivor hailed as a medical miracle

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Daughter of Congolese woman treated for Ebola in December becomes only second healthy child born in such circumstances

The daughter of a pregnant woman who was cured of Ebola has survived and tested negative for the virus, in a case that has been described as a medical miracle.

Sylvana, born on 6 January and weighing 3.7kg, is the second baby in the world known to have survived after being born to a woman who had Ebola. It is the first case in which both mother and baby have survived.

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India’s sick left out in the cold as New Delhi’s top hospital struggles to cope

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Patients awaiting treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Science are living in tents and on pavements for months at a time as the centre reels under the weight of demand

The night-time cold in New Delhi is biting. As the temperature plunges, Alam Ansari’s twin daughters, born prematurely, have only their parents’ body heat to keep them warm while they huddle in a crowded tent on the road outside the capital’s top hospital.

They are not alone. Each day, about 8,000 people from across the country queue outside the outpatients department for treatment. Mainly from poorer backgrounds, they sleep in tents or on the ground.

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Suspected Ebola sufferer does not have disease, say Swedes

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Tests negative for patient who had returned from Burundi and was treated in isolation

A young man being treated in isolation at Uppsala University hospital in Sweden after suspicion of Ebola contamination does not have the disease, the regional authority has said.

Region Uppsala, which oversees several hospitals and medical clinics north of Stockholm, said a test had been carried out on the patient, who was not identified.

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Turning air into drinking water: Africa’s inspired inventors

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Finalists for the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize reveal their designs, from gloves that translate sign language into speech to smart lockers that dispense medicines

The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize, now in its fifth year, has shortlisted 16 African inventors from six countries to receive funding, training and mentoring for projects intended to revolutionise sectors from agriculture and science to women’s health. The winner will be awarded £25,000 and the three runners up will receive £10,000 each.

From smart gloves that turn sign language into audio speech, to water harvesting systems that change air into drinking water, five inventors on course to transform the continent for the better spoke to the Guardian about their innovations.

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Fears of Zimbabwe health crisis as row over doctors’ pay continues

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The government has suspended 550 medical staff and ruled the ongoing strikes over pay and conditions unlawful

A month-long impasse between government and doctors over pay and conditions has left Zimbabwe’s health care system in a critical state, after the government suspended more than 500 medical staff last week.

The government refuses to give in to the doctors’ demands and has ordered striking doctors to return to their posts.

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From abuse to abortion laws: the world’s 12 hot topics in 2018 | Liz Ford and Sneha Lala

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We cast a look back at the issues that dominated the headlines in the past year, from the devastation in Yemen to the trauma of Rohingya refugees

The year was dominated by allegations of sexual abuse and harassment in the aid sector, and anger at the failure of those in power to believe and support those making them.

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The world in 2018: how much do you know? – quiz

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The year began with the Oxfam scandal and ended with a withering verdict on the food we eat. What do you remember?

Allegations of harassment at aid agencies and charities were frequent in 2018. Which organisation was branded 'a boys' club' by one employee?

UN Women

UNAids

Oxfam GB

ActionAid

Students in Cape Town scored a world first by creating a bio-brick from which substance?

Human saliva

Cow's milk

Horse manure

Human urine

Which singer came out in support of a Brexit-beleaguered Theresa May, suggesting the PM's gender made her a target for unfair criticism?

Lady Gaga

Paloma Faith

Kate Bush

Rae Morris

In a report condemning the 'diabolical state' of our diets, nutritionists found that more than four in 10 children worldwide consume what daily?

Chocolate

Cake

Crisps

Sugary drinks

Researchers at Harvard University believe it may be possible to protect countries in the global south from climate change using what?

A gigantic sunshade in the sky

Blanket distribution of sunscreen

A gigantic heat-absorbing sponge

Tibetan prayer beads

Which of the following food staples is threatened by a virulent fungus that could wipe it out of existence?

Wheat

Potatoes

Bananas

Chocolate chip cookies

Scientists working in Tanzania have developed an innovative method of diagnosing tuberculosis – involving the use of what?

Giant pandas

Giant armadillos

Giant frogs

Giant rats

In a speech on equality at the UN, which actor said she was tired of 'being undervalued, undermined and disrespected, because of my gender'?

Sienna Miller

Nicole Kidman

Gal Gadot

Emma Watson

Ethiopian girl band Yegna made headlines after losing UK aid funding. To which British girl band have they been compared?

Girls Aloud

The Spice Girls

The Saturdays

Sugababes

To which of the following did the Trump administration NOT make aid funding cuts in 2018?

Abortion services

Palestinians

Polio

Pakistan

10 and above.

Take a bow, you're a bonafide newshound!

7 and above.

My, my, now that was impressive – you really didn't miss much in 2018, did you?

4 and above.

A solid effort. Let no one say you ignored the headlines in 2018

0 and above.

Oops. It would seem the world passed you by somewhat in 2018. Was it all that talk of Brexit and Trump?

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