Recent News

By Region: Africa

Massive International Effort To Stop Polio Epidemic Across West Africa

Health experts today confirmed that a devastating polio epidemic in west African countries is on the verge of being stopped – but warned that complacency could breathe new life into the outbreak. Since mid-2009, polio has re-infected eleven countries across west Africa, claiming many lives and leaving hundreds of children paralyzed for life…

African countries urged to speed up the passage of biosafety legislations

Accra, March 26, GNA – African countries have been urged to speed up with their biosafety legislations to allow capacity building in modern biotechnology application. “The capacity building should include stewardship that would allow for safe quality product development,” Professor Walter Alhassan, Coordinator, Project on Strengthening Capacity for Safe Biotechnology Management in Sub-Saharan Africa (SABIMA),  Read More »

World TB Day — March 24, 2011

World TB Day is observed each year on March 24 to commemorate the date in 1882 when Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). Worldwide, TB remains one of the leading causes of death from infectious disease. World TB Day provides an opportunity for TB programs, nongovernmental organizations,  Read More »

The Emerging Threat of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Southern Africa: Global and Local Challenges and Solutions

The IOM Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation and the Academy of Science of South Africa held a workshop March 3-4, 2010, in Pretoria, South Africa—the first in a series of international meetings designed to gather information from experts on the threat of drug-resistant TB and ways it can be combated.

Mobile Laboratory Ready to Roll into Province’s Rural Regions – Western Cape

Extended negotiations between the Western Cape Department of Health, University of Stellenbosch, National Health Laboratory Service and the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT), Germany, has borne fruit with the official handover ceremony of the Province’s new mobile diagnostic laboratory with bio safety level (BSL-3). Premier Helen Zille, officially received the mobile unit this morning  Read More »