Africa: As Covid Cases Rise Again, What Do I Need to Know About the New Flirt Variants?

We've now been living with COVID for well over four years. Although there's still much to learn about SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) at least one thing seems clear: it's… Read more »

Africa: Animals Self-Medicate With Plants - Behavior People Have Observed and Emulated for Millennia

When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists… Read more »

Africa: Noise-Cancelling Headphones, Earplugs and Earmuffs - Do They Really Help Neurodivergent People?

Noise can make it hard to concentrate, especially for people who are extra sensitive to it. Read more »

Africa: Snakebites Can Destroy Skin, Muscle, and Even Bone - Exciting Progress On Drugs to Treat Them

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.8 million to 2.7 million people are envenomed by snakes annually, resulting in upwards of 138,000 deaths. Read more »

Africa: Mapping Malaria in Africa - Climate Change Study Predicts Where Mosquitoes Will Breed in Future

The relationship between climate and malaria transmission is complex and has been the subject of intense study for some three decades. Read more »

Chad: Chad Hepatitis E Outbreak - How the Dangerous Liver Disease Spreads and How It Can Be Treated

The World Health Organization recently announced an outbreak of hepatitis E in the eastern Ouaddai province of Chad. Between January and April 2024, 2,093 suspected hepatitis E… Read more »

Africa: Viruses Are Doing Mysterious Things Everywhere - Ai Can Help Researchers Understand What They're Up to in the Oceans and in Your Gut

Viruses are a mysterious and poorly understood force in microbial ecosystems. Researchers know they can infect, kill and manipulate human and bacterial cells in nearly every… Read more »

Africa: Wildlife Traffickers Carried On Their Illegal Trade During Covid Lockdown

The world literally stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. But while countries locked down to keep coronavirus at bay, wildlife traffickers carried on their illegal activities.… Read more »

Africa: Female Genital Mutilation Is On the Rise in Africa - Disturbing New Trends Are Driving Up the Numbers

Thirteen-year-old Salamatu Jalloh had her whole future to look forward to. But in January 2023, her lifeless body was found wrapped in a pink and blue shroud on an earthen floor in… Read more »

Africa: Lassa Fever Case in Paris - What You Need to Know

A case of Lassa fever has been reported in Paris, France, sparking lurid warnings about the "horrific Ebola-like bug". Read more »

Africa: Future Pandemics Will Have the Same Human Causes As Ancient Outbreaks - Lessons From Anthropology Can Help Prevent Them

The last pandemic was bad, but COVID-19 is only one of many infectious diseases that emerged since the turn of this century. Read more »

Africa: Becoming a Dad Can Be Scary. Here's How to Be the Best Father for Your Kids

It is natural to feel apprehensive about the responsibilities that come with parenthood - the financial obligations, the emotional and practical support, and the lifelong… Read more »

Africa: Our New Vaccine Could Protect Against Coronaviruses That Haven't Even Emerged Yet - New Study

The rapid development of vaccines that protect against COVID was a remarkable scientific achievement that saved millions of lives. The vaccines have demonstrated substantial… Read more »

South Africa: Caesarean Births - South Africa's Rates Are Too High - They Can Be Dangerous for Mothers and Babies

A caesarean section is an important surgical intervention that can save the lives of mother and baby. Caesarean sections are essential in complicated labours such as prolonged or… Read more »

Africa: Personalised mRNA Vaccines - a Revolutionary New Approach in Melanoma Treatment

A personalised mRNA vaccine to treat melanoma has now reached late-stage trials in the UK. This is just the latest step in improving the cure rate of cancer. Read more »

Africa: Lessons From Covid-19 - Preparing for Future Pandemics Means Looking Beyond the Health Data

The World Health Organization declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 5, 2023. In the year since, only two provinces -- Alberta and Ontario -- have published… Read more »

Africa: The Covid-19 Pandemic Changed Our Patterns and Behaviours, Which in Turn Affected Wildlife

The Earth now supports over eight billion people who collectively have transformed three-quarters of the planet's land surface for food, energy, shelter and other aspects of the… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Mpox - Why the Virus's Continued, Rapid Mutation Since the 2022 Global Outbreak Remains a Concern

In 2022, as the world was slowly beginning to recover from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an outbreak of mpox - then still called monkeypox - began spreading at an alarming… Read more »

Kenya: Kenyan Doctors' Strike - the Govt Keeps Failing to Hold Up Its End of the Bargain

At least 4,000 doctors are employed in Kenya's public healthcare sector. Almost all of them went on strike on 14 March 2024, demanding the implementation of a labour agreement… Read more »

Africa: Religion and Covid-19 - Methodists and Church of England Followers More Likely to Have Been Vaccinated Than Muslims and Pentecostals

There are many factors which affect how successfully a vaccine is rolled out. One of these is the public health communication strategy. Surprisingly, a key factor in determining… Read more »

Nigeria: Nigeria Is Pioneering a New Vaccine to Fight Meningitis - Why This Matters

Nigeria recently became the first country to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains… Read more »

Africa: R21 Anti-Malaria Vaccine Is a Game Changer - Scientist Who Helped Design It Reflects On 30 Years of Research, and What It Promises

Until three years ago nobody had developed a vaccine against any parasitic disease. Now there are two against malaria: the RTS,S and the R21 vaccines. Read more »

Africa: Sex Differences Don't Disappear As a Country's Equality Develops - Sometimes They Become Stronger

The more gender equal a society is, the more similar men and women will be, adopting more similar interests, personality traits and behavioural patterns. Or so many people seem to… Read more »

Africa: Our Research Suggests Eating an Unhealthy Breakfast Could Have a Similar Effect On Your Child's School Day As Having Nothing At All

Many parents know it is important for their teenagers to have breakfast before they go to school. Even though young people can be reluctant to eat it, breakfast provides the energy… Read more »

Africa: Sugar in Baby Food - Why Nestlé Needs to Be Held to Account in Africa

Nestlé has been criticised for adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries. The Swiss food giant controls 20% of the baby-food… Read more »