Health and medicine

Conflict, poverty and collapsing services: why cholera is surging again "Peace is health," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus repeats in briefings, a blunt reminder that infectious disease is not merely a biological problem but a political and social one. In late August 2025, WHO warned the world that cholera is resurging — and that the drivers are familiar: armed conflict, broken water and sanitation systems, deepening poverty and strained vaccine supplies. The warning is not abstract.…

Healthcare Crisis Deepens in Nigeria Amid Ongoing Doctors' Strike As Nigeria grapples with a healthcare crisis, the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has entered its tenth day, leaving countless patients stranded and desperate for care. Over 11,000 resident doctors are participating in this industrial action, which has effectively paralyzed medical services across the country. The line between life and death has become uncomfortably thin as hospitals reduce their operations due to the…

In Durban, Africa's public health debate turns from aid to agency Durban — Delegates in brightly patterned shirts and surgical scrubs threaded their way through the humid corridors of the conference centre here, trading phone numbers, business cards and the kind of blunt, practical advice that follows crises. This was not a glossy health summit but a working room: ministers, nurses, start‑up founders, community health workers and WHO officials convened for the 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA)…

Hope on the Horizon: The End of an Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo In a remarkable turn of events, the last Ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been discharged, signaling a beacon of hope amid the shadows cast by infectious diseases. This milestone marks not only a pivotal moment for the affected regions of the DRC but also for the global health community, eager for triumph over one of the most notorious pathogens known to humanity. A Comprehensive Response to a Complex…

Global Antibiotic Resistance: A Growing Threat to Public Health As the world grapples with a myriad of health crises, a silent but deadly phenomenon is emerging from the shadows—antibiotic resistance. A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that a staggering one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide in 2023 was resistant to commonly used antibiotic treatments. Over a 40% resistance rate of bacteria-drug combinations from 2018 to 2023 paints an alarming picture of a public health…

MSF Suspends Medical Services in Northern Mozambique as Violence Surges Mozambique’s conflict-scarred Cabo Delgado province has seen a sharp escalation in violence that has forced Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend operations at a key district hospital, the international medical charity said Friday. The halt in services comes after weeks of armed incursions that have killed civilians, driven thousands from their homes and severed access to lifesaving health care in an already fragile region. Immediate disruptions…

Long-acting HIV injection at $40 could reshape prevention — if the world can deliver it A potentially seismic shift in HIV prevention is quietly taking shape: a twice-yearly injectable drug, lenacapavir, has won backing from global health partners and is slated to be available to more than 100 low- and middle-income countries within the next two years — at a price that would make it accessible to millions. Under an agreement brokered by the Clinton Health Access Initiative with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates…

Responding to Ebola's Echo: An Ongoing Battle in the Heart of Africa The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is no stranger to the ominous specter of Ebola. Its history with the virus has been marked by terrifying outbreaks and miraculous recoveries, and the latest resurgence underscores a vital truth: public health is an ongoing battle, deeply woven into the fabric of DRC's communities. Just as the Congo River winds through the nation’s landscape, so too do the somber realities of infectious diseases intertwine with the…

Africa’s quiet emergency: rising suicide rates meet a shrinking safety net When Namibia’s Vice President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah told Parliament this year that 542 people had died by suicide between 2023 and 2024, she broke a painful public silence. Her warning — that Namibia now has the highest suicide rate in Africa — landed alongside a stark global tally from the World Health Organization: more than 720,000 people die by suicide each year, and suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for 15- to 29‑year‑olds, most…

South Africa at a Crossroads: Donor Cuts Threaten Hard‑Won Gains Against HIV GAUTENG, South Africa — In a conference hall a short drive from Johannesburg’s busy highways, the blunt arithmetic of global aid collided with the realities faced by clinics and families. Scientists, clinicians, activists and people living with HIV spoke in urgent, sometimes angry tones: the era of steady international support that helped turn a tide against HIV may be ebbing, and the consequences could be catastrophic. Stark projections, stark…