Category Archives: Medical
UN, Partners Take COVID-19 Prevention to Vulnerable People’s Camps
The United Nations in Nigeria is extending COVID-19 prevention and preparation measures to the camps in the northeast that house hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram violence. Residents of IDP camps in Nigeria’s Borno State are now made to wash their hands regularly at wash basins installed all over the camps. Camps in Maiduguri, Jere, Bama, Banki, Pulka, Gwoza, and Gubio have posters
African Union Predicts Continental Recession Due to COVID-19
With the African Union now predicting the continent’s economy will contract by 0.8 percent this year, African finance ministers are scheduled to meet via video conference on Thursday to discuss ways countries can mitigate a looming economic disaster. Researchers at the AU now believe the continent will slip into a recession this year due to
Coronavirus Hits Somalia’s Khat Sellers
The new coronavirus has woven itself into the daily lives of Somalis’ pocketbooks, hitting small businesses, including sellers of the herbal stimulant khat. Khat, the red-stemmed, green-leafed plant that is chewed for its amphetamine-like properties, is grown in Kenya and Ethiopia but is very popular in Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen. On Thursday, Somalia banned
Rwanda Stops Domestic, Foreign Travel in Coronavirus Fight
Rwanda has become the first nation in Africa to be placed on lockdown for at least 14 days in an effort to fight the coronavirus outbreak. A statement issued by the office of the prime minister said “observing the global trend of the COVID-19 pandemic, and considering the experiences of other countries, there is
AFRICOM Tells VOA: US Kills 15 al-Shabab Terrorists in Latest Somalia Airstrikes
U.S. airstrikes in Somalia this week killed more than 15 al-Shabab terrorists who were battling African Union and Somali forces, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesman Major Karl Wiest told VOA on Friday. The militants posed an “imminent threat” to i…
African Nations Try to Overcome Shortage of COVID-19 Test Kits
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has surpassed 800, an eightfold increase from just one week ago. But a shortage of test kits in many African countries means the number of infected is likely far higher.Dr. Ahmed Kalebi has been trying t…
Coronavirus Technology Carries Troubling Side Effects for Privacy, Press Freedom
Mobile apps and data collection deployed to help contain the coronavirus have a troubling side effect — the potential for long-term government invasions of privacy and surveillance that could be used against independent journalists. In China, resident…
Amid Challenges, South Sudan?Vaccination?Drive?Tackles?Measles
JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN – Shejirina Moni sits beside her children in front of their makeshift home in a shanty community in South Sudan’s capital Juba. Six of her children have died of various illnesses. She’s got three left.“The first one died at nine month…
