Browsing: WHO

Johnson & Johnson has recalled five of its aerosol sunscreen products.

The firm announced on Wednesday that it would like to voluntarily recall all lots of five EUTROGENA^® and AVEENO^® aerosol sunscreen product lines to the consumer level.

“Internal testing identified low levels of benzene in some samples of the products. Consumers should stop using the affected products and follow the instructions set forth below.” The healthcare giant said in a statement.

What Benzene really is

According to an information kit from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), benzene is a chemical that is a colourless or light yellow liquid at room temperature. It has a sweet odour and is highly flammable.

CDC says that direct exposure of the eyes, skin, or lungs to benzene could cause tissue injury and irritation however, presenting with these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has …

Tuberculosis and Malaria have been a thorn in the flesh of the country’s health sector.

This is why Amref Health Africa in Kenya has signed a Global Fund Tuberculosis and Malaria grant of Ksh 7.6 billion ($70,416,010).

The fund will be split into two portions: towards control of TB a total of (KES 5.6 billion) ($51,875,868) has been set aside, and to control Malaria (KES 1.8 billion) ($16,674,386) has been earmarked.

According to information from Amref, this is a 3-year project that is set to be implemented between the year 2021 and 2024 with the help of implementing partners.

Kenya’s ministry of health says that TB remains a global and national public health concern. Globally, 104 million people are infected with TB of which nearly 1.5 million die each year. In Kenya, TB is the fifth leading cause of death. In 2019, Kenya reported and treated 86,504 cases of TB …

In Africa, only South Africa and Morocco manage to produce 70 per cent to 80 per cent of their medicines while some Central African countries import close to 100 per cent of theirs.…

By Benard Ayieko 

A complete state of physical, mental and social well-being that includes the absence of illnesses is one of the most valued things by human beings. It is no doubt that every human being will strive to avoid or alleviate illnesses to maintain a sound state of physical and mental health. Good health plays a pivotal role in promoting and safeguarding economic growth and development of a nation. In fact, citizens’ health has a direct bearing on economic growth and development of a nation.  

There is no doubt that Africa bears a heavy disease burden which is a major source of its economic drawback. Most economies in Africa have been ravaged by diseases and currently some causing most deaths in Africa per 100,000 people per year include HIV/AIDS, diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, ischemic heart disease, meningitis, tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, neonatal sepsis and infections, cirrhosis of the liver and epilepsy. …

With climate and environmental shocks continually threatening food supplies and locusts still ravaging crops in East Africa, the situation could get worse unless adequate and timely attention is given to it.…

On Sunday, May 10th, statistics from the WorldOmeter showed that New York state had recorded 41 fatalities in 24 hours, down from a high of almost two thousand deaths in Mid April. This was a significant drop in deaths with total US fatalities dropping to below a thousand.

This is a similar drop being recorded all over the world with record low levels being recorded in European hotspots of Italy, France, Spain, and United Kingdown with figures almost going to double digits. It is expected that the effects of the disease might not be felt in a few months.

However, as global figures decline, the same can not be said of Africa which has since a significant rise, blatant disobeying containment measures, and rise of unscientific measures to curb the disease. According to Africa CDC, the AU backed entity, there are 63,293 confirmed cases spread across the continent with 2,290 …

The African Union says it is in discussion with the Republic of Madagascar with a view to obtaining technical data regarding the safety and efficiency of the herbal remedy.…

According to the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, All 27 people who came in contact with the first patients tested negative for Coronavirus.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has hit Tanzania, and it is taking a rather serious toll in the East African nation of more than 55 million people, forcing lifestyle choice to change and economic operations to shrink.

In the past weeks, Tanzania had no cases, but currently, there are 6 cases registered in Tanzania. Since the virus made its way to Tanzania, the government of Tanzania has instructed closure of schools, higher learning institutions, and rolled in precautionary measures to various sectors including transport and health.

The ministry of health revealed on 18 March 2020, that the task force tracked all contacts related to the patient, of which have now risen to 27, and tested negative for COVID-19

Since the first case broke, Tanzania has seen a stark rise in hand-sanitizer …

Infections in Africa have been steadily rising after initial indications had shown the continent was not affected by Coronavirus compared to other regions. What started with a few cases in Nigeria and Egypt has risen to over 500 cases and a dozen deaths.

Now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says there could be more cases that what is officially documented. The explanation according to Ethiopian born and head of WHO is that the tests being conducted by the local governments are not as robust.

“I think Africa should wake up. My continent should wake up,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

WHO reports that there are over slightly over 591 coronavirus patients in Africa and the numbers are rising each day.  Egypt reported the largest number of positive cases (196), followed by South Africa (116), Algeria (72), Morocco (49), Senegal (31), Burkina Faso (20), Cameroon (10), Rwanda (8), Democratic Republic …

At least 27 African states have so far been affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus with nearly 350 people diagnosed with the virus across the continent.

As the virus continues on its upward trajectory in Africa, concerted efforts are seeking to arrest its spread with support coming from different entities. The latest announcement of support is by Alibaba Founder Jack Ma who has pledged to donate medical supplies including masks, testing kits and medical use protective suits and face shields to all the 54 African countries.

In the statement posted on his Twitter account, Ma said that Africa can be one step ahead of the coronavirus which has already been classified a pandemic by the WHO.

Read: Coronavirus shakes economies, world forced to change perspective on Africa

Through his Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation, Ma has already donated medical supplies to other countries hardest hit by the virus, including Japan, …