May 15
Africa: From Medieval Plague Ships to Hantavirus - How Outbreaks At Sea Helped to Shape the International Public Health System
Cruise ships are convenient floating hotels by which to see far-flung parts of the world - but as an epidemiologist, I know they are also everything an infectious pathogen could… Read more »
May 14
Africa: Hantavirus - a Cruise Ship, a Deer Mouse, and the Fictional Line Between Human and Animal Health
In February 2025, the classical pianist Betsy Arakawa died in her New Mexico home from a virus most people had never heard of. Her husband, the actor Gene Hackman, died a week… Read more »
Sudan: In Sudan, a Migrant Community Reveals a Resistance to Malaria - the Genetic Study Helping Shape Medicine
Sudan lies at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East. It has played a key role in human demographic movements, reflected in the diversity of its cultures and languages.… Read more »
May 12
Africa: Africa Has the World's Greatest Genetic Diversity, Yet It's Missing From Research - We're Filling the Gap
Throughout history, most of the world's genomic research has relied on DNA data from people of European ancestry. Read more »
May 08
Africa: Meet the Mosquito Terminator - a Spider That Likes Us and Eats Our Enemies
As a child, the mere glimpse of a spider used to send me screaming and running for cover. I was convinced that spiders were my enemies. I thought they were out to get me. Read more »
May 07
Africa: Health Authorities Work to Contain Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak
The MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, was on its way to the Canary Islands on May 7, 2026, after evacuating three ill passengers for treatment. Read more »
Africa: I've Investigated a Hantavirus Outbreak. Here's What I Can Tell You About the Cruise Ship Cluster
The cruise ship cluster of hantavirus cases continues to grow. The World Health Organization reports that as of May 6 there were eight cases, three of whom are confirmed by… Read more »
May 06
Ghana: 'Is All My Struggle Going to Be Wasted?' Ghana Study Explores How Mothers Feel About Early Births
About 10% of births - that's about 15 million babies - are born prematurely worldwide each year, making preterm births a major global health concern. The World Health Organization… Read more »
May 05
Africa: Hantavirus, Covid, Norovirus, Legionnaires' - Why Are Cruise Ships So Prone to Disease Outbreaks?
Cruises are sold as floating holidays, but they are also useful for understanding public health. Cruise ships are carefully designed places where many people live, eat, relax and… Read more »
Africa: Financial Strain, Lockdowns and Fear of Infection During Disease Outbreaks Magnify Violence Against Women and Girls - New Research
When the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, another crisis quietly grew behind closed doors. Reports from around the globe suggested that violence against… Read more »
May 04
Africa: What Is Hantavirus, the Disease That Has Killed 3 Cruise Ship Passengers?
Three people have died after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. At least one other passenger is in intensive care in South… Read more »
May 03
Africa: The Bias in Medical Research - Africa Carries a Huge Disease Burden but Is Missing From Clinical Trials
Modern medicine prides itself on being a universal science, built on evidence from clinical trials. Read more »
Southern Africa: Extreme Heat Is a Growing Threat to Health, Jobs and Food Security in Southern Africa - Study Looks for Practical Solutions
Extreme heat is not just uncomfortable weather - it is becoming a serious threat to health, jobs and food security across southern Africa, especially for those least able to cope. Read more »
April 29
Africa: Heat and Cold Alter How Animals Fight Disease. As the Climate Changes, This Knowledge May Be Vital
Each animal species has an optimal temperature at which it can metabolise food and its immune system can best fight off pathogens. Read more »
April 28
Africa: Delving into One Health's Vision to Better Protect People, Animals and the Planet from Future Health Crises
Climate-sensitive diseases and zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), sustainable food systems and exposure to pollution - the main factors fuelling infectious and… Read more »
April 29
Africa: The Race to Mine Critical Minerals for AI and Clean Energy Is Creating 'Sacrifice Zones' That Harm Water and Health of World's Poor
There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies - everything from AI to wind turbines, as… Read more »
April 28
Kenya: Scientists Have Found a Safer Way to Hunt for the Next Pandemic Virus
The world is full of animal viruses, and we're pretty sure that one of them will cause the next pandemic. To prevent pandemics, we need to predict which of the vast number of… Read more »
April 23
Africa: Ending Malaria in Africa - 5 Essential Reads On Gains and Challenges
Malaria, a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes, is preventable and curable. The World Malaria Report 2025 shows that in 2024, there were an… Read more »
April 21
Africa: One in Three Young Women in Africa Have Never Tested for HIV - New Study Shows Where the Gaps Lie
HIV remains one of the biggest public health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that accounts for approximately two-thirds of about 40 million people living with HIV… Read more »
April 20
Africa: New Plastic Film Covered in Thousands of Tiny Pillars Can Tear Apart Viruses On Contact
Think of how many surfaces you touch every day, from your kitchen bench to the hand rail on the bus or train, your work desk and your phone screen. Read more »
April 12
Africa: Africa Is Losing Health Workers When It Can Least Afford to - a Pattern Rooted in Colonial History
Africa has a challenge to retain the health workers it needs. Read more »
April 09
Africa: Kidney Disease Is Growing in Africa - Big New Study Casts Light On Genetic Risk Factors
Every minute your kidneys are hard at work, filtering around 200 litres of blood, removing waste, balancing salts and fluids, and regulating blood pressure. This happens without… Read more »
April 06
Nigeria: Nigeria Imports 70% of Its Medicines - Why Local Manufacturing Doesn't Meet Demand
Nigeria imports at least 70% of its medicines. This is striking for a country of over 230 million people and at least 120 active pharmaceutical manufacturers. Read more »
April 01
Africa: Superbugs On Your Plate - How Antimicrobial Resistance Spreads Through Food
From the moment raw ingredients are harvested to when you cook and eat a meal, an invisible process is taking place: the growth of antimicrobial resistance. This happens when… Read more »
March 31
Nigeria: Maternity Health Services in Nigeria Are Failing Women - 4 Steps to Better Care
Nigeria faces one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates. Around 1,047 women die for every 100,000 live births, far above the African regional average of about 531 deaths… Read more »
