Day: July 1, 2023

Zimbabwe has recorded a cumulative 3,017 suspected cases of cholera, including 19 confirmed deaths and 52 suspected deaths, cabinet has announced.

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told the media during a post cabinet briefing that a total of 2,910 recoveries have been recorded to date.

“The nation is informed that as of 24 June 2023, Zimbabwe’s cumulative suspected cases had reached 3,017, with 2,910 recoveries, 19 confirmed deaths, and 52 suspected deaths.

“The case fatality rate (CFR) for all deaths, confirmed and suspected, was 2.4%. All provinces have reported cholera suspected cases, with Manicaland having recorded the highest number at 1,251, followed by Harare with 1,121 and Matabeleland South Province with 277.

“Cholera confirmed deaths have been recorded in Manicaland (12), Harare (3), Mashonaland Central (2), and Mashonaland West and Masvingo with one case each. Regarding the regional situation, a cumulative 154,317 suspected cholera cases and 2,747 deaths have been reported in the African Region,” Mutsvangwa said.

She also said the government will ensure that water challenges are dealt with to stop the spread of the disease.

“Government will implement a multi-sectoral approach led by the Minister responsible for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, in order to address the water, sanitation challenges which are fuelling the cholera outbreak,” she added

Source: Nam News Network

A recorded total of 499 344 hectares have burned due to uncontrolled veld fires this year since the start of the fire season in April.

In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism called out to members of the public, farmers and property owners, to put measures in place to minimise the risk of veld fires as fire seasons start in April and go as far as September.

MEFT Chief Public Relations Officer, Romeo Muyunda said veld fires have been observed to cause massive damage to the environment and properties over the past years.

He explained that these kinds of fires are characterised by strong winds, high temperatures and dry vegetation, resulting in fire burning uncontrollably.

“Prior to the fire season, the ministry engaged in the development and maintenance of firebreaks; to this end, 33km of firebreaks have been cleared across the country, and work is ongoing,” said Muyunda.

MEFT further called upon charcoal producers to adhere to charcoal production guidelines developed by the ministry in 2022. The ministry said it engaged in facilitating early burning in the community forests as well as training community members.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Mr Stephen Ohene Sabi, the Head of Pharmacy at Pleasant Medical Centre in Ashaiman Middle East, has advised the public against practising self-medication because of the associated dangers. He said it was advisable for any person who felt unwell to seek immediate medical treatment at approved medical facilities to prevent health complications. He said self-medication might also delay the diagnosis of the condition. Mr Sabi gave the advice when he took his turn at the weekly health education programme dubbed 'Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! an initiative of the Ghana News Agency. The initiative is aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy. Mr Sabi said although the World Health Organisation advocated self-care, including nutrition, and responsible self-medication would require careful reading of more about the medicine and knowing its side effects or associated reactions after consumption. 'It means that before taking any medicine, one needs to have adequate information about the medicine and seek advice from a health expert before self-medication,' he noted. He further cautioned individuals, who were fond of abusing medications by taking overdoses, to avoid doing so due to the harmful side effects. 'Even though some medicines have minor side effects such as constipation, headache, and diarrhoea, some can cause severe side effects that may end up requiring intervention at the health facility,' he said. He advised patients to stick to the prescribed dosage and schedules by their physicians because some medicines could become addictive when taken above the limit. Mr Sabi also encouraged females who may require a supplement of blood tonic after their menstrual cycles to seek proper advice from a health professional, depending on the situation before such purchases were made. However, 'Eating healthy meals that can replace lost blood is advisable, rather than without taking a blood tonic,' he said. Mr Sabi advised that if one has any health conditions such as kidney or liver problems, among others, they could not take any medications unless they had been prescribed by a physician and should avoid irresponsible self-medication.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Untreated hypertension can lead to permanent brain damage, Dr Aba Folson, a Cardiologist at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) in Tema, has said. Untreated hypertension can lead to multi-infarct dementia. This type of dementia is caused by blood flow problems in the brain from strained blood vessels, which can kill brain tissues and cause serious memory problems to develop. Dr Folson said this at the weekly 'Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! A Ghana News Agency initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy She added that the situation could further lead to permanent memory loss, which is a manifestation of cognitive decline. 'Cognitive decline means your thinking, awareness, and analytical power are all dependent on how your brain functions,' she stated. She added that having uncontrolled hypertension can silently damage many parts of the body, including the brain, blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and a lot more. The IMaH Cardiologist explained that although the disease could not be cured, through medication or lifestyle changes like diet, weight loss, and exercise, the impairment symptoms would be managed or improved. She added that hypertension was known to be one of the biggest risk factors for dementia and other health conditions and urged Ghanaians to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Speaking on the topic, 'Measure blood pressure accurately, control it, and live longer,' Dr Folson cautioned pregnant women to start antenatal care immediately so as to manage any unforeseen disorder as soon as it was detected. She stressed that failure to have the health professionals manage it could lead to the disease reoccurring in the future. 'Pregnancy-induced hypertension must be diagnosed; it is diagnosed when the woman presents herself for antenatal care; it will be mandatorily checked; other tests will be done,' she stated. Dr Folson cautioned pregnant women to adopt good eating habits and do regular exercise to help manage the disorder, as it could not be prevented. She called on husbands and family members to offer their support to both pregnant women and nursing mothers, as stress could contribute to hypertension. Mr Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency Tema, explained that 'Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility' is part of a collaborative effort to disseminate health information. He said existing evidence indicated that mass media efforts could help increase awareness of a health problem, raise the level of information about health topics, and make a health topic or problem more salient, thereby sensitizing the public. Mr Ameyibor called on both the traditional and social media managers to devote some time to engaging health professionals to educate the public.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited (PSGL) in the Western Region has donated 500 bags of cement to the Prestea Government hospital to refurbish the facility. Presenting the items at Prestea, Mr Maxwell Acquah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PSGL, said the goodwill formed part of the firm's corporate social responsibility. He said the company recognized the important services the hospital offered to residents of Prestea and beyond, it decided to help speed up the current ongoing works. Mr Acquah expressed the company's commitment to supporting local communities in which they operate to improve the welfare of residents, adding that, collaboration between the private sector and healthcare institutions was important as its provided accessible quality healthcare.' 'We are delighted to contribute to the infrastructure projects of the Prestea Government hospital. Our goal is to have a long-term positive impact on Prestea's healthcare infrastructure and to improve upon community healthcare quality. We are committed to supporting initiatives that benefit the well-being of the people we serve,' he stated. Receiving the items, Dr Djabatey Darko, Medical Superintendent of the facility, expressed gratitude to the donor for the generosity and said it would go a long way to assist them. 'We are extremely grateful to PSGL for the presentation. It would greatly support our efforts to renovate the ward and expand our capacity to meet the community's healthcare needs. It's encouraging to see local businesses like this stepping up to invest in the health of our patients,' he said. Dr. Darko appealed to other philanthropists, organizations, agencies and individuals to assist the ffacility to help in efficient healthcare delivery to the people of Prestea and its environs.

Source: Ghana News Agency