AS ZIMBABWE STEPS UP ITS CHOLERA FIGHT, RESTRICTIONS ARE IMPOSED

Thu 30 October 2023: The Zimbabwean government has stepped up its fight against the cholera outbreak that continues to ravage Harare, the country’s capital, as well as other districts across the country. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, said Tuesday that there were 1,744 new suspected cholera cases reported during the […]

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NZ PLANS TO LIFT BAN ON SELLING CIGARETTES TO CHILDREN AGED 14, BELOW

Thu 30 October 2023: On Wednesday, the New Zealand government confirmed its 49-point agenda for the first 100 days, which includes removing the restriction on selling cigarettes under the age of 14, and outlawing cell phones in classrooms. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon affirmed his 49-point action plan at his Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, calling it […]

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AMERICAN BABY FOOD STILL CONTAINS PESTICIDES, BUT IN A LESS TOXIC FORM: RESEARCH

Wed 29 October 2023: Baby food in the United States may still contain potentially harmful pesticides, but is less toxic than it was about 30 years ago, according to a new study by a nonprofit U.S. environmental group. Some 38 percent of conventional, or non-organic, baby food in the United States, is found to contain […]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WELCOMES LATEST HIV SURVEY FINDINGS

Tue 28 October 2023: The Department of Health has welcomed the results of the sixth South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour (SABSSM VI) survey released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on Monday.  The department believes the results will assist the country in strengthening the interventions in response to the epidemic.  “These […]

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IMPORTS OF SINGLE-USE VAPES TO BE BANNED IN AUSTRALIA BY 2024

Tue 28 October 2023: Australia will bar imports of single-use e-cigarettes starting next year, cracking down on the nicotine products that are popular with youth. The ban will come into effect on January 1, Australia’s government announced on Tuesday, adding that it will also introduce legislation in 2024 to ban the manufacture, advertising or supply […]

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WHO CONFIRMS MONKEYPOX SPREADS SEXUALLY IN DR CONGO AMID OUTBREAK

Mon 27 October 2023: The World Health Organization said it has confirmed sexual transmission of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time as the country’s experiences its biggest-ever outbreak, a worrying development that African scientists warn could make it more difficult to stop the disease. In a statement issued late Thursday, […]

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CHINA URGES LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO HAVE MORE FEVER CLINICS AMID SURGE IN RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES

FILE PHOTO Sun 26 October 2023: The Chinese health ministry on Sunday (Nov 26) urged local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics amid a surge in respiratory illnesses across the country. Addressing a press conference, National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said that the surge in acute respiratory illnesses was linked to the […]

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WHO ASKS CHINA FOR MORE DETAILS ON UNEXPLAINED PNEUMONIA OUTBREAK

Thu 23 October 2023: The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked Beijing for more information on an outbreak of mysterious pneumonia in northern China that appears mostly to be affecting children. The WHO made “an official request for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children,”  the United […]

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BANGLADESH BATTLES RECORD DENGUE DEATHS AS DISEASE PATTERN CHANGES

  More than 150 children have died of dengue in Bangladesh this year [Nazmul Islam/Al Jazeera] Tue 21 October 2023: Dhaka, Bangladesh – Every time Mosammat Mayna enters the dengue ward at Mugda Hospital in Bangladesh’s capital, sorrow and fear grip her mind. The 23-year-old has been working as a cleaner in the hospital for just […]

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