Author: bradcheap82

Situation at a glance On 14 August 2024, the WHO Director-General determined that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), the highest level of alarm under the IHR. Here we describe the latest countries in the region newly reporting cases since the start of the multi-country outbreak in 2022. The clade Ib MPXV outbreak, which began in September 2023 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is having an increasing number of…

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A 15-year-old girl wept in the Alexandra Regional Court as she testified how she was repeatedly raped at a Sangoma initiation school. She said these traumatic incidents had turned her into a drug junkie and left her HIV positive. Read more: Toilet-rape victim to stay put at current school The teenager, who was only 11 years old at the time of the rape incidents, was testifying in the trial of Arthur Lucky Motaung, an Alex Gobela [a Sangoma trainer]. Motaung pleaded not guilty to 12 counts including six of rape, one of compelled rape, three of assault to commit grievous bodily…

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Dr Nikki Allorto with nurses from the paediatric surgical ward at Greys Hospital. (Photo: Sue Segar/Spotlight) News & Features 23rd August 2024 | Sue Segar Burn injury has been described as the forgotten global public health crisis. Dr Nikki Allorto says that while it may be a neglected issue in South Africa, she is making sure her patients feel seen, heard and cared for. Sue Segar spent time with her on ward and clinic rounds at Greys Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. It’s a wintry August morning and specialist surgeon Nikki Allorto strides fast along the corridors of Greys Hospital in Pietermaritzburg,…

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INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA WHAT: Weekly engagement with the media to provide updates on the Mpox outbreak situation in DRC and other affected Member States. Africa CDC Director General, H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, will share the latest insights and urgent actions being taken to combat the outbreak. WHEN: Tuesday, 27th August 2024 TIME: 4:00 – 5:00pm East Africa Time (+3 GMT) WHERE: Virtually, via zoom link below:   https://africacdc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_psoBrwaDS0qINTf4deMChA SPEAKER: H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC                                           MODERATOR: Ms. Margaret Muigai Edwin, Director of Communication &…

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The infected man has returned from a two-week trip to Uganda (Representational)Gabon: Gabon has reported its first case of mpox in a man who had returned from a trip to Uganda, its health ministry said.Cases of the infectious disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have been surging in East Africa, but have also been detected in Asia and Europe.The 30-year-old who lives in Gabon had “returned from a two-week trip to Uganda, which has been impacted by the epidemic”, the ministry said in a statement Thursday.”The patient is in a good state generally… and has been put in isolation,” it added.The…

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WHO’s partners can now start ordering mpox vaccines, despite approval still pending NEWSThe World Health Organization said on Friday that its partners, including Gavi and Unicef, can start buying mpox vaccines before they are approved by the UN health agency, in a bid to get inoculations to Africa faster as the continent battles an escalating outbreak of the virus.Traditionally, organisations such as Gavi, which help lower-income countries buy vaccines, can only start purchasing shots once they have approval from the WHO. But the rules have been relaxed in this instance to get talks moving, as the WHO’s approval is due…

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