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[The Conversation Africa] Around the world, food systems and supply chains come in different shapes and sizes. And so too do food safety problems and their solutions.
A November 26 letter from the presidency asked the head of Uganda's national drug authority to 'work out a mechanism' to clear the importation of the vaccines.
China has about five COVID-19 vaccine candidates at different levels of trials. It was not clear what vaccine was being imported into Uganda.
One of the frontrunners is the Sinopharm vaccine developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates said the vaccine has 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.
China has used the drug to vaccinate up to a million people under its emergency use program.
On Tuesday, Morocco said it was ordering up to 10 million doses of the vaccine.
Record cases
Uganda on Monday registered 701 new COVID-19 cases, the highest-ever daily increase, bringing its national count to 23,200.
The new cases were out of the 5,578 samples tested for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said in a statement.
Tuesday's tally was 606, the second-highest ever number of new infections, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the east African country to 23,860.
Health authorities have blamed ongoing election campaigns which have drawn huge crowds for the rise in infections.
5,500 Detroit families to receive healthy meals kits as campaign distributes 1 million meals inspired by Netflix’s Waffles + Mochi and raises awareness of food equity around the country The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), in collaboration with PHA Honorary Chair Michelle Obama and Higher Ground Productions, is bringing the ‘Pass the … Continued
The post Michelle Obama, Healthier America Announce Detroit Families to Receive 264K Healthy Meals appeared first on The Michigan Chronicle.
THE Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights Doctors (ZADHR) has warned that the country must prepare for a possible second wave of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic despite recording a major decline in confirmed cases early this week. By Brenna Matendere On the other hand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also urged nations to be vigilant, stressing that the global cases were yet to reach the peak. Zimbabwe’s conformed cases spiked to 591 by the end of June, from 34 on May 2. Most of the new cases recorded were among returnees from South Africa, Botswana and the United Kingdom. Only seven COVID-19-related deaths have so far been recorded. Speaking to NewsDay yesterday, ZADHR secretary Norman Matara said government should not relax or think the situation was normalising. “Recording no cases in one day is no reason to relax,” he said after no cases were recorded on Sunday. “Previously, there was a period that we went through for almost one week without reporting a single case of COVID-19, but that did not mean we were out of the woods yet.” Matara pointed out that due to the sharp rise in cases in South Africa, where most returning citizens were coming from, there was a possibility of a similar situation happening in the country, resulting in the second wave. “We need to remain extra vigilant and cautious, continue enhancing our disease surveillance and make sure the public continues to practise social distancing and good hygiene practices,” he said. “With cases of COVID-19 continuing to increase in neighbouring South Africa, and we have people returning home from that country, we should always remain on high alert. It is definitely not time to relax.” In his media brief on Monday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed similar sentiments, saying: “The virus still has a lot of room to move. We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is: this is not even close to being over.” Itai Rusike, the Community Working Group on Health executive director, reiterated that “rolling back the lockdown will also depend on voluntary informed consent by the public to comply with appropriate public health measures”. Agnes Mahomva, the COVID-19 national taskforce co-ordinator, told NewsDay that government would not relax measures owing to declining cases. “We are not out of the woods at all. We need to keep strengthening our preparedness and response. We also need to remain focused,” she said.
Habit Kenya has highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa but registers decline.
BY REJOICE NCUBE PREGNANT and lactating women have expressed concern over their exclusion in COVID-19 vaccination programmes, which they say expose them
The post Pregnant, lactating mothers feel excluded in COVID-19 vaccination appeared first on NewsDay Zimbabwe.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten health and food systems in Africa and around the world, the 2020 Global Nutrition Report calls on governments, businesses and civil society to step up efforts to address malnutrition in all its forms.
As inequalities and malnutrition continue to sweep the world and Africa, the 2020 Global Nutrition Report stresses that the need to address malnutrition in all its forms by tackling injustices in food and health systems is now more urgent than ever.
Of 37 countries that struggle with three forms of malnutrition – childhood stunting, anaemia in women of reproductive age and overweight among women – 27 were in Africa.
Venkatesh Mannar, Co-Chair of the Report and Special Adviser on Nutrition to the Tata Cornell Agriculture Nutrition Initiative, said: “At a time when COVID-19 has further revealed the gaps in our food systems, we now have a unique opportunity to act in coordination to address them and ensure that healthy and sustainably produced food is the most accessible, affordable and desirable choice for all.”
Renata Micha, Co-Chair of the Report and Research Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, said: “Good nutrition is an essential defence strategy to protect populations against epidemics, release the burden on our health systems, deliver Universal Health Coverage and ultimately save lives.
BY NIZBERT MOYO SOME parts of Zimbabwe are experiencing a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and authorities have swiftly reacted by imposing a hard lockdown in places such as Bulawayo. Over the past few weeks, government has imposed lockdowns on selected places such as Kariba, Hurungwe and Banket to contain the spread of […]
The post Covid-19 third wave rages appeared first on The Zimbabwe Independent.
[Botswana Daily News] Gaborone -- Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Tumiso Rakgare, says sport authorities have been working with various international bodies to assist with development of guidelines and procedures for safe return of sport.
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) was founded on April 25, 1944 by Frederick Patterson, President of the Tuskegee Institute, and Mary McLeod Bethune, an advisor to the Franklin Roosevelt Administration, to provide a steady, consistent stream of funding to 27 financially struggling small historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) scattered across the south. It also hoped to support access to higher education for impoverished African American students by an appeal to the national conscience.
Early UNCF supporters included President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The first annual fundraising effort generated $760,000, a sum that would be worth approximately $8.6 million in 2008 dollars. In 1959 Massachusetts Senator (and future President) John F. Kennedy donated the proceeds from his Pulitzer Prize winning book, Profiles in Courage, to the UNCF.
Between its founding in 1944 and 1970, the fundraising efforts of the UNCF were directed primarily by and toward influential whites such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who sat on the board until his death in 1960. Only in 1970 with the selection of Vernon Jordan did African Americans gain full control of the UNCF. The arrival of Jordan as president led to a dramatic increase in direct appeals to black Americans including especially graduates of the member colleges. Beginning in 1980, the organization enlisted singer Lou Rawls to lead an annual telethon, initially called the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars to raise money for UNCF scholarships. The annual telethons raised more than $200 million through 2006, the year of Rawlss death.
In 1972, Forest Long, an executive of the Young and Rubicam advertising agency, developed the now nationally recognized slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” The UNCF motto became one of the most widely recognized slogans in advertising history.
The United Negro College Fund is an active supporter of black college attendance. In addition to funding for the now 39 member institutions, it
Founded in 1963, the aim of the Organization of Africa Unity, the precursor of Africa Union (AU) was to safeguard the interests and independence of all African states, encourage the continent's development, and settle disputes among member states.
I agree with the President of Namibia, Dr. Hage Geingob, that African Union (AU) had achieved \"what some thought would be impossible - a free, democratic, self-governing and most importantly an Africa without incessant civil wars\" .
Indeed Africa has come of age as articulated by Nigeria's General Murtala Ramat Muhammed in his \"Africa Has Come of Age\" speech at the OAU Summit Summit on Angola which categorically mobilised African Heads of State for the recognition of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) as the authentic government of the Angolan people contrary to the preference of United States of America and the West in general.
The chair of the Africa Union, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa hit the nail on the head when in his anniversary speech he observed that \"As Africans we will continue to stand on the side of justice and support the people of the Western Sahara in their enduring struggle for freedom and self-determination\".
It's time for genuine collaboration and unity of purpose between African states in combating the impact of the pandemic within the new normal and within the context of the African Union's Agenda 2063.
HEALTH and development have a symbiotic relationship, thus a healthy nation has high potential to develop. Johannes Marisa In 2007, the World Health Organisation (WHO) proposed a framework describing health systems in terms of six building blocks which include health workforce, service delivery, health information systems, essential medicines, financing and leadership. A robust health system should always strive to make sure that the building blocks are in order. A well-trained health workforce is a pride of the nation. Zimbabwe has trained some of the finest medical personnel who have traversed the world today. In 1963, Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia, became one of the most respected countries in Africa when the School of Medicine was opened. Among our neighbours, Zimbabwe was the second to open a medical school after South Africa which started in 1918. Zambia started in 1970, Malawi (1991), Botswana (1999) and Namibia (2009). Sadc has benefited from the health workforce coming from Zimbabwe. The health delivery system was strengthened in our country but brain drain creeped in, leaving many hospitals unmanned. During our days at medical school, we used to get payouts. It was of course government money which many students never came to pay back until today. Government was investing in health. The question today remains: What then went wrong resulting in a mass exodus of the cadres that government trained? In 2020, the University of Zimbabwe churned out about 183 medical graduates with National University of Science and Technology (Nust) sending out about 24. It is a pity today that the 2013 job freeze is haunting new graduates who are forced to hustle on the streets. Some of the graduates were absorbed into the system. Each central hospital received about 16 graduates who are working as junior resident medical officers. The numbers are significantly low considering the important roles that the junior doctors play. If the country is not to compromise the quality of healthcare, especially at central hospitals, junior doctors should be in good numbers considering that they are the ones who man the casualty and outpatients departments. All procedures surrounding the admission of a patient are done by these cadres, including taking blood to the laboratory and following up of results in order to expedite patient treatment. I understand that there is a job freeze, nevertheless, the medical industry is a delicate one, hence it ought to have staffing levels that are prepared for any catastrophes. In the midst of COVID-19, it is prudent for the country to have enough critical staff to avoid a quandary if things become worse. The third wave is threatening to attack everyone in the world and Brazil is one country that has lost hope of COVID-19 victory as both morbidity and mortality are increasing everyday. The monstrous virus is ravaging that country at an alarming rate, culminating in virtually all aspects of life being in tatters. If medical graduates are allowed to roam the streets in a country like Zimbabwe where both the doctor-
Chef Rami Rassas, also known as “Rami Raw'', is pleased to announce the launch of Elev8 Dinners, an elevated, chef-driven, monthly private dining experience held in luxury residential spaces in the Dallas area.
ACCRA — When it comes to food security, the challenge is not always about producing more – it’s also about quality: producing food that is wholesome and preserved safely. About 690 million people go hungry each year. The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to add between 83-132 million people to this number based on socio-economic factors. Even before the pandemic, about half of Africa’s citizens were food insecure. And much of Africa’s food is of low quality or lost before it even reaches the consumer. Africa has made some great strides in food production over the last decade even though it continues to be a huge net food importer to the tune of US$47 billion in 2018. But this pandemic has halted successes chalked in fighting poverty and disease and progress towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 is not the only challenge. In the past year, Africa has grappled with locust swarms, droughts, flooding and conflicts which have slashed livelihoods and brought hunger to many in the region. Restrictions on movement during lockdown also impact on commodities like seeds, fertilizers and farming implements which has, in turn, led to decreased food production. Many crops were not readily accessible and farmers struggled to get their produce to markets. And then, adding to the crisis, the continent’s poor storage facilities were not up to scratch. COVID-19 showed the fault lines in our food production systems and this has compromised the livelihoods of millions of farmers. Food systems on the continent — including production, storage and processing, distribution and transportation, retailing and promotion — are dominated by traditional methods which are vulnerable to unexpected crises. The Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme, one of African Union’s continental frameworks under Agenda 2063, urges African governments to increase investment for agriculture by allocating at least 10% of national budgets to achieve agricultural growth rates of at least 6% per annum. Also in the declaration on Food security and Nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic, African ministers of agriculture committed to putting in place measures that will reduce food post-harvest losses and make more food available in the markets. Now, as countries struggle to recover from the impact of the pandemic, there is the need for an action plan to consolidate efforts at these policies. Past interventions for Africa have focused on food production through improvement on crop varieties and yield. But we are not living in normal times. We must do more than simply look at production. Resilient systems need efficient storage and production processes. Post-COVID-19 Africa must invest in appropriate storage technology which is lacking in most developing nations and this causes unnecessary waste and considerable loss to their economies. For example, it is estimated that 60%–70% of food grains produced in developing nations are stored in traditional structures either in threshed or unthreshed at the home. However, most traditional
[Vanguard] The World Health Organisation, WHO, and COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, COVAX on Wednesday announced that Nigeria and other lower-income countries will get approximately 1.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.
[Daily News] IN a bid to address Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country, Tobacco products will from now on be regulated by the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA).
While the world has been altered or almost come to a standstill due to the COVID- 19 pandemic which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation on the 11th of March, one thing has remained constant within the local capital market. Investors across the width and breadth of the country or abroad can still observe the lockdown and social distancing while still benefitting from buying or selling shares remotely using C-TRADE. C-TRADE is an innovation developed to harness and promote participation of retail investors and institutions in capital markets through mobile and internet based platforms. It automates the interface of the retail and institutional investors giving them direct access to the market with enhanced efficiency and convenience. Investors can easily access, trade and get relevant information on the companies they wish to invest in as well as access timely, accurate information regarding the performance of their investments and the various opportunities that exist. It wasn’t that long ago that the ability to trade shares online and through mobile phones seemed like a scary prospect to individual investors. But thanks to a raft of technological improvements and the rise of online share trading platforms worldwide, it’s now easier than ever for ordinary Zimbabweans from all walks of life to buy and sell shares online through the C-TRADE platform. C-TRADE is convenient in that one simply needs to open an account for free and they are good to go. Investors are not bound by time and physical place as long as they are accessible on a mobile phone or have internet access. This technology significantly reduces the need for manual processes and paper work and is consistent with international trends as, the communication of orders and executions are being conducted electronically and in real time worldwide. The platform also provides investors with a convenient 24/7 mechanism to exit their investments. It offers an advanced interface and the ability for investors to see how their money is performing throughout the day. Further, it almost eliminates the middle men as there is virtually no direct communication with broker. Apart from reducing the overall trading cost, using C-TRADE is hassle free making it lucrative as it gives investors greater control of their portfolios as they can trade whenever they wish to. This is different from traditional trading where an investor may be stuck until he or she is able to contact their broker or when the broker is available to place their order. C-TRADE allows for almost instant transactions. An investor has the ability to review his/her options instead of depending on middle men to tell them the best bets for their money. Overtime, investors become more experienced and understand the market and can distinguish good investments from bad ones. C-TRADE provides wide distribution channels through the incorporation of the SMS and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). Investors simply dial a short code which gives them direct access to the market with en
[Premium Times] Amid rising poverty, Nigeria's food inflation has reached new levels and is telling on Nigerians daily.
For home chef Stacey Kwamboka, mashed potatoes with crispy buttered fish fillet were the best to make her husband feel appreciated.
Health is important for the development of any nation. In essence, health and development are symbiotic hybrids. guest column:Johannes Marisa So many people have lost confidence in the public health system in Zimbabwe with the private medical sector also being blamed for exorbitant charges which are beyond the reach of many. Many people blame the government for lack of hospital equipment, medicines and sundries that are required for a robust health service delivery. In 2007, World Health Organisation (WHO) came up with a framework describing health systems in terms of six core components or building blocks and these are leadership, medicines, health workforce, information systems, financing and service delivery. The Health and Child Care deputy minister, John Mangwiro, on Sunday at a Kadoma conference for private medical practitioners pointed out that the popularity of Karanda Mission Hospital was because of the attitude of its staff. I visited Karanda at one time, the reception even from the gate keeper was warming, the receptionists were always smiling, nurses and doctors were always mingling with patients in a jovial way. In contrast, government hospitals were labelled death traps. We need to know the other side of the coin if we are to unearth the real cause of public hospital service disintegration in our beautiful country. A lot of people have often rushed to blame the government or the Health ministers for the poor service being offered at some government hospitals. What I witnessed on Sunday at Chegutu Hospital exposes preventable staff failure. Some of these hospitals are dying today because of maladministration, poor attitude and being inconsiderate on the part of medical staff. If a hospital like Chegutu District Hospital, which is along a major highway, is allowed to run without emergency preparedness yet we are approaching the festive season, then our country is doomed. The events I am narrating will tell you who to blame for some of the medical mishaps in a lot of public hospitals. Bad attitude, maladministration, arrogance, lack of consideration and empathy have slaughtered our health sector. An accident occurred on Sunday just 7 kilometres after Chegutu Hospital. Two people lost their lives and the injured were rushed to Chegutu Hospital. When we got to the scene of the accident on our way from a conference in Kadoma, it was already 2 hours after the incident. My sixth sense told me to drive back to Chegutu Hospital to check on the state of the survivors. Upon arrival in the casualty department, we introduced ourselves and then asked for gloves, suture material and other things to use because the three patients were groaning in pain and two of them were bleeding from lacerations. To my surprise, the following is what we discovered: • The injured were yet to be attended to, three hours after the accident • There was no single pair of gloves available • There were no available suture packs, what was only available was vicryl, an absorbable suture • No surgical blade • No painkillers for emergency cases
Independent investigators mandated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to probe allegations of sexual abuse by its staff in the DR Congo cited \"clear structural failures\" and \"individual negligence\" in a report released on Tuesday.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) says its members will not go back to the classroom to teach unless government accede to their proposals of ensuring maximum safety of staff and learners in line with COVID-19 protocols.
The proposals include: the government ensuring a mandatory testing of all teachers and learners to ascertain their status, provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Veronica handwashing buckets, alcohol-based hand sanitisers and regular flow of water for all schools in the country.
The President of GNAT, Ms Philippa Larsen said this at the launch of the association's impact assessment of COVID-19 on the education sector in Ghana.
Ms Larsen said the association has also recommended adequate numbers of health personnel to be provided in the schools to handle the health needs of teachers and learners.
The Deputy General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Joshua Ansah said the union had also researched into COVID-19 and its impact on businesses and urged the government to collaborate with the teacher unions for a collective way forward towards the reopening of schools.
Website: https://www.unclejammys.com/about.html A classic tale of a man with an entrepreneurial spirit and pristine cooking skills, the story of Jamal Etienne-Harrigan and Uncle Jammy’s is destined to leave a smoky, sweet taste in your mouth. Located in nearly 30 stores across the state of Pennsylvania including Whole Foods, Pittsburgh-based, small business and best … Continued
The post Sugar, Spice, and Everything Smokey with Uncle Jammy’s appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.
