HEALTH – KMAUPDATES

May312020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

AFRICA: Rwanda confirms first COVID-19 death.

KIGALI — Rwanda has on Saturday May 31 recorded the first coronavirus death. The country’s Ministry of Health says the deceased is a 65-year old truck driver who was residing in a neighbouring country. “After seriously falling ill, the patient decided to return to his home country,” the ministry wrote without specifying the country. “He received intensive care treatment at a specialized COVID-19 facility but unfortunately passed away due to severe respiratory complications,” Rwanda’s Ministry of Health wrote As of May 30, 2020, the coronavirus tally of confirmed cases in Rwanda stands at 359 of which 250 have fully recovered and discharged from the hospital. The active cases according to latest update stand at 108. So far Rwanda has eased a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, ...

May312020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

CORONAVIRUS: Uganda registers highest single-day COVID-19 cases.

AFRICA, CORONAVIRUS, HEALTH, UGANDA

KAMPALA – Uganda has on Saturday, May 30 recorded 84 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number the country has registered in a single day. This brings the total confirmed cases now to 413. According to the ministry of health, 52 new cases are truck drivers of whom 50 arrived from South Sudan via Elegu, while 2 arrived from Kenya via Busia. “32 of the new confirmed cases are contacts to previously confirmed cases. All were under quarantine at the time of test,” said the ministry. The ministry says that samples from Points of Entry tested were 1,477 and those from alerts and contacts were 358. “Total samples tested today: 1,835.” The ministry also revealed that total recoveries are now 72. Additionally, 51 positive foreign truck drivers were handed over to their country of or...

May312020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Senegal: African Development Bank (AfDB) approves 88 million euros emergency budget support for COVID-19 response

HEALTH

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, May 31, 2020/ -- The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank on Friday approved a loan of 88 million euros to Senegal, hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic, in support of the costs of its national COVID-19 Economic and Social Resilience Program. The financing, which falls under the Bank’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Facility, will provide the nation with an emergency budget support program (PUARC) aiming to address the health, social and economic impacts of the crisis. The operation will target support measures providing relief to the most vulnerable households, while safeguarding jobs and enabling businesses to quickly resume. The operation will help strengthen the health contingency action plan through support to patient case management and care ...

May312020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

Senegal: African Development Bank (AfDB) approves 88 million euros emergency budget support for COVID-19 response

HEALTH

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, May 31, 2020/ -- The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank on Friday approved a loan of 88 million euros to Senegal, hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic, in support of the costs of its national COVID-19 Economic and Social Resilience Program. The financing, which falls under the Bank’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Facility, will provide the nation with an emergency budget support program (PUARC) aiming to address the health, social and economic impacts of the crisis. The operation will target support measures providing relief to the most vulnerable households, while safeguarding jobs and enabling businesses to quickly resume. The operation will help strengthen the health contingency action plan through support to patient case management and care ...

May302020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

EAST AFRICA: Kenya records one of the highest single-day COVID-19 cases, numbers stand at 1888.

AFRICA, CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, HEALTH, KENYA

NAIROBI — Kenya’s Health Minister Dr Rashid Aman has confirmed that 143 more individuals had tested positive for COVID-19 after 2,959 samples were tested within the last 24 hours. Aman stated that the total number of COVID-19 individuals in the country stood at 1888. All the 143 cases are Kenyans, with the youngest patient being one month and the oldest being 88 years old Aman further stated that 26 individuals from hospitals around the county had been discharged, bringing the total number of those who had recovered to 464. At the same time, the ministry recorded the loss of a 59-year-old, bringing the total number of those who had succumbed to 63. The Health CAS further insisted that Kenyans should continue to follow measures that have been set by the government including;...

May302020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Continuing essential medical services during COVID-19

CORONAVIRUS, HEALTH

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 30, 2020/ -- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt in every one of MSF’s approximately 450 projects in more than 70 countries. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have had two main priorities: first, to keep existing essential medical services up and running for the hundreds of thousands of patients who rely on us; and second, to prepare for, and respond to the spread of the virus itself. Faced with challenges on a scale never experienced before, our teams, like frontline healthcare workers everywhere, have had to quickly adapt to the new realities of a COVID-19 world. MSF has launched targeted COVID-19 projects in many of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, including Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Brazil and the US. At the same time, ...

May302020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Burundi: Flood Victims in Burundi receive assistance from International Organization for Migration (IOM) amid COVID-19 Pandemic

HEALTH

BUJUMBURA, Burundi, May 30, 2020/ -- Over 2,100 victims of severe flooding and mudslides in Burundi are receiving help from IOM, the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Weeks of torrential rain have hit Burundi affecting 45,000 people and sweeping away thousands of homes and businesses, leaving 18,000 people newly displaced. Three large displacement sites for victims have emerged around Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, where thousands are living in temporary or makeshift accommodations. There are concerns the new displacement sites could increase their risk of contracting COVID-19, due to their overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. IOM under the coordination of OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and other UN agen...

May292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Uganda: Young Ugandan man ‘an agent of change’ in HIV care and gender justice

HEALTH

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 29, 2020/ -- Hillary Nuwamanya, 24, was born HIV-positive, and has chosen to live his life setting an example for other young people who are struggling to find hope. As an important part of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme, the Ugandan has trained people in how to lead their communities in gender equality, gender justice and zero tolerance for sexual and gender-based violence. He often participates in or facilitates intergenerational workshops on HIV and gender justice. On Thursdays, you’ll find Nuwamanya wearing black in support of Thursdays in Black, the global campaign for a world free from rape and violence. The people around him describe him as “an agent of change." Hillary Nuwamanya He often...

May292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

U.S. Government Begins Phase Two of Indoor Residual Spraying in Eight Districts of Uganda

HEALTH

KAMPALA, UGANDA --- On May 25, the U.S. government’s President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) began the second phase of indoor residual spraying (IRS) in eight high-burden malaria districts in Lango and Teso sub-regions through its VectorLink Project. PMI is led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented together with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health. Phase two of spraying is expected to last 24 days and will include the following districts: Otuke, Alebtong, Lira, Dokolo, Kaberamaido, Kalaki, Amolatar, and Serere. This second phase of spraying follows a March spraying completed by the VectorLink Project in Butebo, Pallisa, Kibuku, Budaka, Butaleja, Namutumba, Bugiri, and Tororo. ...

May282020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: COVID-19 hygiene measures must be enforced in schools set to reopen in West and Central Africa, says Save the Children

HEALTH

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 28, 2020/ -- Schools in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal that closed to contain the spread of COVID-19 reopen in about ten days. As thousands of children prepare to return to school across West and Central Africa, it is essential that hygiene measures required to slow COVID-19 are in place, says Save the Children. About 12 million children have been affected by school closures across Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. Whilst welcoming the decision of authorities to reopen schools, the agency is warning they must remain safe to limit the risk of COVID-19 contagion for children and their families. Protective equipment for staff, and ensuring children understand the importance of social distancing and hygiene measures -- including access to clean water - are o...

May282020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

oronavirus – Africa: Countries failing to stop harmful marketing of breast-milk substitutes, warn WHO and UNICEF

HEALTH

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, May 28, 2020/ -- A new report by WHO, UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) reveals that despite efforts to stop the harmful promotion of breast-milk substitutes, countries are still falling short in protecting parents from misleading information. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for stronger legislation to protect families from false claims about the safety of breast-milk substitutes or aggressive marketing practices. Breastmilk saves children’s lives as it provides antibodies that give babies a healthy boost and protect them against many childhood illnesses.WHO and UNICEF encourage women to continue to breastfeed during the COVID-19 pandemic, even if they have confirmed or suspected COVID-19. While researchers continue to test...

May272020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

Coronavirus – Uganda: Museveni opens facemask factory

HEALTH

President Museveni on tuesday commissioned a facemask manufacturing factory in Mbalala Industrial Park in Nama Sub-county Mukono district. According to the president, Lida Packaging Products Limited has a production capacity of 560,000 facemasks per day and is currently employing 315 Ugandan youth."We have the capacity to produce many things here because we have the raw materials. We have injected money in Uganda Development Bank to support manufacturers with low interest loans and enhance production," he said. Due to the guidelines from the ministry of health, a few guests attended the event. The State Minister for Water, Ronald Kibuule, who is also the Mukono North Member of Parliament said the factory discovered the need to produce masks to save Ugandans from Coronavirus....

May272020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus -South Africa: cabin crew member Who Rescued South Africans From China Dies

HEALTH

Johannesburg --- Thousands of South Africans went to social media to mourn the hurtful and untimely demise of a very beloved South African lady, Nakedi Ntshane who was at first thought to have died after being infected by the noble virus terrorisng the world over, the popular Coronavirus (Covid-19). Nakedi whilst she was alive rose to popularity as one amongst the team of pilots and air crew who adamantly rescued neglected South Africans who were in China when the pandemic broke through the nation. Recall that reports had it, blacks in China especially Nigerians, South Africans, Ghanians etc were being thrown out of their homes and apartments in China by landlords and the likes when the Covid-19 broke in the country, Exposing them to easy access to the deadly virus. Many were seen i...

May262020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

Uganda: President Museveni to commission masks factory in Namanve today

HEALTH

KAMPALA --- President Museveni is today set to commission a mask manufacturing company as a section of the economy reopens with wearing of face masks set as one of the conditions for being in public. According to the President’s press secretary Don Wanyama, he will today commission LIDA Packaging Products Ltd, a company that manufactures masks and Personal Protective Equipment for health workers. In his last address on COVID-19 situation in the country last week, President Museveni promised to have face masks distribued free of charge to all Ugandans starting on June 4th. However, concerns have been raised over a huge supply deficit due to limited capacity of local companies to produce the required within just two weeks. LIDA Packaging Products Ltd factory is located in Mbalal...

May262020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

Project leader: Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial has 50% chance of success

HEALTH

LONDON,UK --- The University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial has only a 50% chance of success as the coronavirus seems to be fading rapidly in Britain, the professor co-leading the development of the vaccine told the Telegraph newspaper. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, which has teamed up with drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to develop the vaccine, said that an upcoming trial, involving 10,000 volunteers, threatened to return “no result” due to low transmission of COVID-19 in the community. “It’s a race against the virus disappearing, and against time”, Hill told the British newspaper. “At the moment, there’s a 50% chance that we get no result at all.” The experimental vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is one of the front-runners in the global race ...

May252020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – South Africa: Ramaphosa warns that the pandemic is going to get worse as he announced new eased lockdown measures

HEALTH

PRETORIA --- The president of South Africa has warned that the country's coronavirus outbreak is going to get much worse, while announcing that lockdown measures are to be eased. Cyril Ramaphosa said a third of the country's more than 22,000 cases had been recorded in the last week. Despite that, the president said the current lockdown could not be sustained indefinitely. He announced that, from 1 June, more restrictions would be lifted. Mr Ramaphosa was speaking after a mining company in South Africa said 164 workers at a gold mine near Johannesburg had tested positive for coronavirus. There have so far been 429 recorded Covid-19 deaths in the country. An overnight curfew will no longer be in place, more businesses will be allowed to open and schools will re-start, the ...

May252020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – U.S: Arrivals from Brazil banned from entering the United States due to COVID-19

HEALTH

The United States has barred arrivals from Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of cases in the world after the US. Brazil has recorded more than 360,000 cases, the country's health ministry announced on Sunday, while over 22,000 people have died with the virus. A White House spokeswoman said the restrictions would help ensure new cases are not brought into the US. "Today's action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. Non-Americans who have been in Brazil in the two weeks before they request entry to the US will be denied that entry. The restriction will not affect trade between the two countries. The suspensio...

May242020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

UGANDA: 38 foreign truckers blocked as Uganda’s virus cases rise to 198

AFRICA, CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, HEALTH, UGANDA

At least 23 more Ugandans have tested positive for COVID-19 as the country’s confirmed cases on Saturday rose to 198.The new cases are part of 1,187 samples tested on Saturday from the border points and the Uganda Virus Research Institute. At least 19 of the new cases are Ugandan truck drivers who entered the country through the Elegu and Busia border points while the four cases were from the community. According to the Ministry of Health, all the community cases are contacts of truck drivers who tested positive for the virus. At the time of testing, the four cases were under quarantine. The government also blocked entry of 38 truck drivers who tested positive at different points of entry. This brings the number of drivers who have been sent back to 206, since the beginning of th...

May242020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

AFRICA: Zambia’s Info Minister tests positive for Covid-19, cases tally at 920.

AFRICA, CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, HEALTH, Zambia

Zambia is one of southern Africa’s most impacted nations despite being way behind continent leader South Africa. A lockdown imposed by President Edgar Lungu has since been relaxed following a continent-wide trend. This article will focus on major developments coming from the southern African country. May 24: govt spokesperson tests positive Information Minister and chief government spokesperson, Dora Siliya, confirmed testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. In a video posted on Twitter, she said she had gone into immediate self-isolation despite being asymptomatic. “I have since alerted the ministry of health and I have given them all my contacts especially in the last 10 days,” she added. “Let us continue to observe social distancing, masking and washing our hands regularl...

May242020 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments

Coronavirus – Kenya: In Mathare, measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are disrupting other essential health services

HEALTH

For people living in Mathare, one of the largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya, the disruption to local health services caused by a curfew and other preventative measures implemented as a part of the country’s COVID-19 response may prove more dangerous to the 500,000 people living there than the outbreak itself. Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers are exacerbating the problem. As of May 14, there were 758 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 42 deaths in Kenya, and although this number is relatively low, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams working in Mathare have already witnessed the impacts of the outbreak response on people’s access to health care. “Many private health facilities closed because of the risk of contamination and th...