September 22, 2024
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UK’s development-finance arm plans US$6bn African investment
Africa-news

UK’s development-finance arm plans US$6bn African investment

July 27, 2022
0

British International Investment Plc, the UK government’s development-finance arm, plans to invest $6 billion over the next five years in Africa in areas ranging from renewable power and digital infrastructure to supporting women-owned businesses.

New Monkeypox symptoms are making cases harder to recognise
Africa-news

New Monkeypox symptoms are making cases harder to recognise

July 26, 2022
0

Monkeypox patients around the world are suffering from symptoms not normally linked to the virus, leading to missed and mistaken diagnoses, researchers said.

Doctors are reporting some patients with only single sores from the disease, sometimes in the mouth, anus or genitals, according to a study released Thursday by the New England Journal of Medicine. The cases don’t conform to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of monkeypox.

“Case recognition is vital, and we haven’t been equipped to actually recognize the disease,” said Chloe Orkin, a clinical professor of HIV medicine at Queen Mary University in London and lead author of the study, said in an interview.

Monkeypox has infected more than 15,000 people in the global outbreak, about 2,300 of them in the US. Historically, the virus has primarily spread through contact with infected animals or through household contacts in areas of West and Central Africa where it’s considered endemic. Now, however, it’s spreading mainly via close contact among men having sex with men.

Some local health departments have already alerted health workers to the new symptom patterns. A July 18 advisory from New York City health officials describes “atypical features” in some cases, including a shortened incubation period of 2 to 5 days, lack of fever or swollen lymph nodes, and the presence of only a few, scattered lesions most prominent in the anus and genital area.

Easily confused

“These different presentations highlight that monkeypox infections could be missed or easily confused with common sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis or herpes,” said John Thornhill, a sexual health and HIV doctor and professor at Queen Mary University who also contributed to the study, said in a statement. “We therefore suggest broadening the current case definitions.”

The study looked at 528 cases across 16 countries, the largest case report to date. Almost all of them were men who have sex with men, or who identify as gay and bisexual men. One reassuring finding, Orkin said, is that though monkeypox has been known to cause more serious symptoms in immunocompromised people, including those with HIV, their study did not see evidence of increased disease severity among monkeypox patients with HIV.

Though it spreads through intimate contact, monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted infection, and it still isn’t clear whether it spreads through sexual fluids, like semen. While the study found the virus in 29 of 32 semen samples tested, it hasn’t been shown that the fluids are infectious. Most blood samples tested didn’t test positive for the virus.

After early assurances that the US was prepared to handle a monkeypox outbreak, the country has hit snags in vaccine distribution and public-health messaging. The Health and Human Services Department has said that demand for Bavarian Nordic A/S’s Jynneos vaccine is oustripping supply and jurisdictions such as New York City have had problems getting shots in arms. Siga Technologies Inc.’s Tpoxx, an antiviral used to fight monkeypox, has also been extremely difficult for clinicians to prescribe.

The monkeypox response has brought back memories of the 1980s, when HIV treatment was difficult to access and patients were left waiting for life-saving medications, said Mordechai Levovitz, clinical director of the Jewish Queer Youth nonprofit. Advocacy groups including the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power are calling for more action on monkeypox by local lawmakers.-moneyweb

What does the WHO monkeypox declaration mean?
Africa-news

What does the WHO monkeypox declaration mean?

July 25, 2022
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The WHO has decided to issue monkeypox its highest level of alert: a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. But what's the deal with PHEICs — who decides, what does it mean, and what happens next?

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared the ongoing worldwide monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghrebeyesus announced.

Tedros made the declaration despite a lack of consensus among members of the WHO's emergency committee on the monkeypox outbreak. It's the first time a leader of a UN health agency has made such a decision. 

How has the outbreak spread?

The current outbreak started in May, with 20 cases recorded in Britain on May 20, mostly among gay men.

Since then, the outbreak has grown to almost 16,000 cases in 75 countries, Tedros said. Data from the CDC in the US indicate that in one day alone, from July 19 to July 20, confirmed case numbers leaped from 14,511 to 15,378. The current outbreak is centered in Europe.

Since July 14, Bermuda, Thailand, Serbia, Georgia, India and Saudi Arabia have all reported their first cases, adding to the now 73 countries where the current outbreak has been detected.

As the outbreak continues to grow, epidemiologists are split as to whether the WHO's decision was correct. The meeting was the second time the emergency committee convened, after a meeting on June 23 when it decided the outbreak had not met that threshold.

"It is a tricky decision for the committee," said Dr. Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

"In some senses, it meets the definition — it is an unprecedented outbreak widespread in many countries and would benefit from increased international coordination.

"On the other hand, it seems to be an infection for which we have the necessary tools for control; most cases are mild and the mortality rate is extremely low," Whitworth told DW.

What is a PHEIC?

The designation of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern is the WHO's highest alert level. It is based on international health regulations established in 2005, to define countries' rights and obligations in handling cross-border public health occurrences.

The WHO defines a PHEIC as "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response."

The WHO further explains how this definition implies a situation that is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond an affected country's border and may require immediate international action.

Who decides about a PHEIC?

The WHO's emergency committee on monkeypox provided WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus with advice on the disease but couldn't come to a consensus.

The WHO's emergency committee on monkeypox is composed of 16 members and chaired by Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a former director of vaccines and immunization at the agency.

Other committee members include epidemiologists and disease experts from all around the world.

What are advantages and criticisms of PHEICs?

The purpose of a PHEIC is to focus attention on acute health risks that have the potential to spread internationally and threaten people around the world.

They are intended to help in mobilizing and coordinating information and resources, both nationally and internationally, for the purposes of prevention and response.

In practice, declaring PHEICs may end up causing a financial burden to the country facing the epidemic, particularly if travel and trade are curtailed. Indeed, some countries are reluctant to share public health data in the case of an outbreak for fear of such measures.

Critics of the PHEIC system note that an emergency is only declared when an event has started to spread internationally, indicating it has already reached an acute level. Some have called for various, intermediate stages of alarm.-DW

Homeowners, buyers can survive ongoing interest rate hikes: This is how...
Africa-news

Homeowners, buyers can survive ongoing interest rate hikes: This is how...

July 25, 2022
0

The interest rate hike of 0.75% will be “devastating” for consumers, but there are ways you can get through them with your finances in check.

‘Awful’ snap sales wipe US$47bn from social media stocks
Africa-news

‘Awful’ snap sales wipe US$47bn from social media stocks

July 22, 2022
0

US social-media giants shed nearly $47 billion in market value in extended trading Thursday, as disappointing revenue from Snap Inc. raised concerns about the outlook for online advertising.

Uganda, Botswana and Ghana are the world’s top 3 economies with the most female entrepreneurs
Africa-news

Uganda, Botswana and Ghana are the world’s top 3 economies with the most female entrepreneurs

July 22, 2022
0

The 2021 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) has, for the third consecutive year, ranked Botswana (38.5%), Uganda (38.4%) and Ghana (37.2%) as the countries with the most women business owners globally.

The Index’s benchmark indicator is calculated as a percentage of total business owners. This is the fifth edition of the MIWE, which puts the spotlight on the significant socio-economic contribution of women entrepreneurs around the world, including Africa, and provides insights on the factors driving and inhibiting their advancement.

In many African countries, women’s advancement is hampered by less supportive entrepreneurial conditions, a lack of funding, less opportunities for higher-level education, as well as structural barriers.

Botswana, however, scores in the top 15 economies globally in terms of advancement outcomes for women, particularly as far as performance by income is concerned, out-performing high-income and developed economies such as Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia. Botswana also scores highly in MIWE 2021’s ‘women’s labour force participation rates’, ranking 13th globally.

According to the report, Nigeria, alongside Angola and Ghana, ranked first globally in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Activity Rate in MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) 2021.

Nigeria also ranked second globally for the number of ‘women professional and technical workers’ at 59.1 per cent, while Angola ranked second globally in hiring intentions with 16.4 per cent of adults planning to employ six or more people in the next.

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and economic downturn, Mastercard’s research indicates that women entrepreneurs in Africa are resilient and adaptable, particularly those in low and middle-income economies, often surpassing men in terms of entrepreneurial activity.

Ebehijie Momoh, Country Manager and Area Business Head for West Africa at MasterCard, congratulated the African countries for their entrepreneurial and SME activities efforts.

He added that “women in Botswana, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Angola stand out as excellent examples of women’s determination to provide for themselves and their families, despite facing financial, regulatory and technical challenges. In these economies, women are able to leverage on opportunities in their respective environments to be business owners, leaders and professional or technical workers.”

As part of Mastercard’s commitment to creating a world where women entrepreneurs are equally represented and supported, the company made a global commitment to connect 25 million women entrepreneurs to the digital economy by 2025. Not only will empowering women’s entrepreneurship act as a catalyst for growth and innovation, but it will raise up the communities around successful women and fuel a global recovery that is more equitable and sustainable for everyone.-businessinsider

Interest rates increased by 75bps - biggest hike in almost 20 years
Africa-news

Interest rates increased by 75bps - biggest hike in almost 20 years

July 21, 2022
0

The repo rate has been hiked by 75 basis points on Thursday.

SA's inflation surges to 7.4% - highest in 13 years
Africa-news

SA's inflation surges to 7.4% - highest in 13 years

July 20, 2022
0

SA's annual consumer inflation spiked to 7.4% in June, from 6.5% in May, Stats SA reported on Wednesday.

Record-low real interest rate sets stage for aggressive rate hike tomorrow
Africa-news

Record-low real interest rate sets stage for aggressive rate hike tomorrow

July 20, 2022
0

South Africa’s real interest rate is at the lowest level in almost a quarter century, adding to the case for continued aggressive monetary-policy tightening by the central bank on Thursday.

Inflation: what it is and how it affects you
Africa-news

Inflation: what it is and how it affects you

July 18, 2022
0

Many South Africans are concerned about the ever-increasing inflation rate. Inflation is driving up the cost of food, fuel, and living expenses and eroding your buying power. Your salary is not stretching as far as it once did due to inflation.

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