WHY A BREAKTHROUGH FOR ALZHEIMER’S IS IMPORTANT FOR AFRICA

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC), and the Wake Forest Baptist have developed a new brain implant (prosthesis), to treat Alzheimer’s disease – a condition that is currently incurable. The implant is presently being tested on humans, and the results from the work were recently presented at the 37th Annual International Conference of

10 Impressive, World-Class African Hospitals

Africa is at times involved in the news when there is a medical issue at the core of the story, such as the Ebola virus or HIV/AIDS, and often help from other parts of the world is necessary to combat illness or assist Africans from a medical perspective. Over 1.1 billion people populate 54 countries on

EBOLA DRUG ZMAPP HITS A MILESTONE

On the 18th of September, 2015, makers of the experimental Ebola drug – ZMapp announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a ‘Fast Track’ designation of the drug for the treatment of Ebola virus disease. Dr. Larry Zeitlin, president of LeafBio and Mapp Biopharmaceutical said the company had been in frequent

ADAOBI T. NWAUBANI’S STORY SHEDS LIGHT ON CHILD DOMESTIC LABOUR IN AFRICA

At age 10, Titi was taken from her family in the Republic of Benin, and brought to Nigeria to become a domestic help to a family of six.  Now aged 12, Titi neither knows her surname, nor heritage. The young child works round the clock cooking, cleaning, washing and scrubbing. In a recent article titled

Key Snake Antivenom Is Running Out, Doctors Without Borders Warns

Tens of thousands of lives are in danger. We’re about to run out of Fav-Afrique, the most effective antivenom for snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa, Doctors Without Borders warned on Monday. This could imperil the lives ofthe 1.5 million people who are bitten by a snake in the region every year. Fav-Afrique has been the antivenom of choice for

Diaspora groups to lead way on emergency aid

A new research project looks at hooking up diaspora groups with large-scale international NGOs – this is a step forward, but when will diasporan and homegrown NGOs be given the same level of funding? Why is it that so often when we talk about aid, we talk about help administered by Western NGOs and charities?

THREE REASONS STRIKES WILL CONTINUE IN NIGERIA’S HEALTH SECTOR

No part of public service in Nigeria has experienced more strikes than the health sector. Right now, public tertiary hospitals in Nigeria are struggling to get back to life after another series of strikes. The University College Hospital, Ibadan, was crippled for 108 days by a strike called by the Association of Resident Doctors. At LAUTECH Oshogbo,

Thousands of Ebola survivors face severe pain, possible blindness – Experts

London – Some global health experts said thousands of West Africans who survived the Ebola virus infection were suffering chronic conditions such as serious joint pain and eye inflammation that could lead to blindness. The World Health Organisation (WHO) experts said that the Ebola survivors who fought off the most severe bouts of infection were

CLEAN WATER MADE FROM POOP – HOW RECEPTIVE WILL AFRICANS BE?

If you were given a glass of water on your arrival at home on a hot day. You drank it without a second thought, only to be told that the water was an end product from sewage. What would be your first reaction? Gag? Indifference? Janicki Bioenergy caught global attention in January 2015 when Microsoft

THREE REASONS AFRICAN-AMERICANS SEEKING ASYLUM IN AFRICA IS IRONIC

For about a month now, a petition asking Africa to grant asylum to African-Americans has been circulating on the internet. The letter, addressed “Dear African Governments”, lists real reasons for this decision; frustration with neo-slavery, police brutality, discrimination at different levels, disparities in economic statuses, amongst other complaints. In the midst of the “Black Lives