HIV and wider development issues
From weak transport networks to food shortages, a country’s wider context has a huge part to play in how individuals and communities are able to respond to HIV.
Key Correspondents document the links between HIV and wider development as a way to advocate for the economic, social and cultural empowerment of those most at risk of and living with HIV.
Hydro power proves life changing for people with HIV in Zimbabwe
Shupi is an unemployed widower with three children, living in a remote village. She is also living with HIV and a new hydro power project has helped change her life. more
Malawian song fuels HIV stigma
A recently released Malawian song mocking people living with HIV shows the extent to which some people can go to achieve fame, money and power. more
Uganda: midwives shortage hinders efforts to prevent HIV in children
Every day Mercy Nanyonga wakes up, she knows that she is going to help a pregnant woman bring new life into the world. more
Zimbabwe: economic decline drives single mums to sex work
Poverty and the need to provide for their children, is causing a rise in women turning to sex work in Zimbabwe, despite the fact the profession places them at higher risk of contracting HIV. more
Health minister: HIV response can help tackle malaria in Southern Africa
Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane, Swaziland’s minister of health and social welfare, has called for lessons learned from the HIV response in Southern Africa to be applied to the response to malaria. more
Latent TB: a time bomb among people living with HIV in Kenya
On World TB Day, Lucy Maroncha asks why people living with HIV in Kenya are not being offered effective diagnostic tests which mean they could receive early treatment on tuberculosis. more
Zimbabwe: shortage of health workers threatens health delivery
Health workers in Zimbabwe are overburdened and the health delivery system, in particular HIV-related issues, is under threat. more
“My children will not starve while I have my body to sell”
At Katwe-Kabatoro landing site on the shores of Lake George in Uganda’s Kasese district, the HIV epidemic is taking another twist. more
Ice hockey strategy needed to tackle TB-diabetes co-infection
Health experts have called for international action against a looming co-epidemic of diabetes and tuberculosis, in a new report published on 29 October. more
Fear causes media to self-censor on sexual minorities in Africa
What is it about lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people that ties broadcasters’ tongues? more
Ebola outbreak puts access to HIV treatment under threat
“I am safe, don’t worry.” This is how my friend Wilhemina, from Sierra Leone, always ends our mails. Whenever she says so, I smile with relief. more
Young HIV positive women’s woes deepen as Zimbabwe economy slumps
As Zimbabwe’s economy continues to decline, young women living with HIV are facing major challenges to health and well-being due to increasing poverty. more
Hepatitis C and HIV: the time has come for new advocacy
As I write this, Alberto, one of my patients with HIV is dying because of lack of treatment for his hepatitis C. By the time you read this, he will be gone. more
Malawi: Village chiefs unknowingly sleep with sex workers
Some chiefs in Rumphi district in northern Malawi risk contracting HIV because they unknowingly sleep with hired sex workers during chief installation ceremonies. more
Tour guides at higher risk of HIV Infection
Guides working in Malawi’s top tourist destinations face an increased risk of HIV infection, according to a spokesman from the Cape Maclear Tour Guides Association. more
Young Ethiopians support themselves through condom distribution
After high school Zinash Kidanu* dreamt of a college education, but her dream went unfulfilled until a job selling condoms changed her life. more
Stigma and discrimination still rampant in Uganda
Nearly half of people living with HIV in Uganda report that they have suffered verbal abuse, harassment and threats as a result of their status. more
Migrants want equality and dignity
Migrant workers keep many economies in Asia and the Middle East functioning, yet migrants are often vulnerable to violence, discrimination and lack of social and healthcare services. more
Lack of health services for young people fuels HIV and teenage pregnancies
Today, an international family planning conference gets underway in east Africa, where a lack of sexual and reproductive health services is fuelling high rates of HIV infection in young people. more
Malawi’s largest HIV organisation celebrates 20 years of saving lives
This year, the National Association of People Living with HIV in Malawi turns 20 and celebrates a proud history of helping people learn how to live positively. more
Bishop and key Ugandan HIV advocate dies of snake bite
The recent death of Bishop Illukor, retired Anglican primate of Soroti District, Eastern Uganda, from a snakebite was a tragic event that shocked the community. more
Uganda requires new strategies to fight HIV
Uganda requires new strategies if the country is to change the course of HIV transmission according to an official from the Ministry of Health. more
Rogue herbalists fleece people living with HIV in Kenya
A promise for a cure that would release Jesse Ng’ang’a from the daily intake of antiretroviral drugs saw him visit one of the many cure-it-all herbalists in Gilgil town. more
Ugandan activists call for early action on patent barriers for generic HIV drugs
Human rights organisations warn that action must start now to protect the lives of thousands of Ugandans on HIV treatment, who stand to suffer if generic drugs are outlawed in 2016. more
Abuja+12: achievements and bottlenecks in the Ivory Coast
One year on from the launch of the Abuja+12 roadmap to address AIDS, TB and malaria in Africa, what progress has been made? more
Ugandan husband divorces wife due to HIV diagnosis
Since her HIV diagnosis, Grace has overcome horrendous stigma and discrimination to start a new life operating a small business and looking after her grandchild. more
UN and EU sign 44 million euro deal with Zambia on maternal, neonatal and child health
The United Nations and the European Union have signed a 44 million Euro agreement aimed at accelerating progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Zambia.
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Safe water reducing oppportunistic diseases among people living with HIV
Over 18,000 thousand families in Nyanza region have been provided with clean water. Access to clean safe drinking water has contributed to a decline in opportunistic diseases among people living with HIV in the Nyanza region, Kenya. This follows the … more
Kenya launches digital healthcare surveillance
Kenya has made the first notable step to deal with illegal trafficking of ARVs by recently launching digital drug surveillance technology in Nairobi. The Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System (PV-ERS) is a suite of software applications with a web portal, which … more
Food cuts hit hard for people living with HIV
Sopheap (given name) is a 42 year-old HIV positive women currently living in Sonikum district in the province of Siem Reap, Cambodia. She has been struggling alone to provide for her family since her husband left the family home shortly … more
International Women’s Day: a report from Zambia
Today is International Women’s Day and various events are taking place all over the world. In Zambia, women, men, children and youth are commemorating the day under the national theme of ‘The gender agenda: gaining momentum’. more
Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation improves
Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation is reported to be improving, resulting in the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealing for approximately half of the resources originally requested in 2012. more
Uganda: Infant health threatened as district faces vaccine deficit
Kabarole district, western Uganda is facing a shortage of vaccines due to an ongoing stockout by the National Medical Stores (NMS), an official has said. more
Growing old in Oyam, Uganda: Mary Joyce’s story
In Apedi Adek village, in Oyam district, northern Uganda a centenarian great grandmother lives on. Williams Moi tells her story. more
Investment in millet research will boost communities’ livelihoods, says leading academic
The Ugandan government should allocate more funding to millet research as it has the greatest food value and would boost the livelihoods of communities in Teso, eastern Uganda. more
Fear of Ebola in Luwero, central Uganda stopped World AIDS Day celebrations
Central Uganda: The Luwero district HIV and AIDS focal person has clarified that the district did not commemorate this year’s World AIDS Day for fear of Ebola. more
Plan to boost doctor numbers in Angola unveiled at WHO Africa meeting
Angola’s Vice President Manuel Vicente has announced a national plan to address the country’s lack of medical staff. The country currently has just two doctors for every 10 000 people. more
Zimbabwe adopts e-health strategies
ln a bid to move with global developments Zimbabwe has developed ehealth strategies to enhance service delivery and increasing competitiveness in the health sector. more
Uganda: Bundibugyo health workers ‘charge fees’
Health officials in Bundibugyo District, Uganda are charging fees and soliciting bribes from patients to provide ‘free’ services, a new report alleges. more
Kenya: Food industry commits to reaching 27 million with more nutritious food
A five-year partnership with industry to reach around 27 million Kenyans with nutritionally fortified wheat flour, vegetable oil and maize meal was launched yesterday (9 October). more
Improving nutrition in Africa
A new program to help deliver improved nutrition to Africa was designed at a workshop in Nairobi earlier this month. more
Kumi district, Uganda launches sanitation campaign
Kumi district, Uganda has today launched a campaign on home improvement sanitation, officials have revealed. more
Local Gokwe women trained as researchers to reduce the ‘fear factor’
More than 30 women from Gokwe district, Zimbabwe have been trained in data collection in order to diffuse the’ fear factor’ informants experience when taking part in health research. more
Alcohol policy being developed in Zimbabwe to address risky sexual behaviour
An alcohol policy is being developed in Zimbabwe, which health officials hope will help curb the spread of HIV and AIDS. more
Water shortage and poor health facilities in Rwamwanja refugee camp
Despite the interventions by several organisations to help the refugees at Rwamwanja Refugee Camp in Nkoma Sub County Kamwenge district, Uganda, much is still needed to help improve the situation at the camp. more
Southern African journalists enhance skills on issues affecting region
Journalists from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), including KC Wallace Mawire, are participating in a two week workshop to enhance their skills and knowledge on issues affecting the region. more
Zim health minister calls for improved access to water and sanitation
Dr Henry Madzorera, Zimbabwe’s minister for health and child welfare, has urged the country’s media to articulate more on the need for responsible authorities to improve access to water and sanitation for communities. more
Safe water and toilets still out of reach for Siyaphambili village, Zimbabwe
In 1963 ZANU PF was formed, and the very same year somewhere in Tsholotsho, Siyaphambili village, Phillip Mpala settled with his family. This man had never had access to clean and safe water. more
Novel innovations for health worker training in Sudan
When your disease burden is high, resources are low and the migration of your skilled workforce is of constant concern, how is a country to scale-up service initiatives to provide better healthcare for its citizens? more
My view: Zimbabwe’s health from hero to zero
KC Robert Tapfumaneyi’s take on the historical roots of Zimbabwe’s failing health system. more
Zimbabwe launches pneumonia vaccine
To address the problem of pneumonia in children and contribute towards achieving millennium development goal four, the government of Zimbabwe, with support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, has introduced a new vaccine. more
E-health initiatives lagging behind in developing countries, says WHO expert
Zimbabwe and many other developing countries, especially in Africa, are lagging behind when it comes to e-health initiatives, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert. more
US $50 million announced for toilets and safe drinking water in rural Zimbabwe
Thousands of communities are set to benefit from a US$50 million sanitation grant from UKAID, part of the UK Department for International Development (DIFD), providing a major boost to the Zimbabwe government’s efforts to reduce water borne diseases in rural areas. more
Zimbabwe’s health ministry receives $110K for clinical equipment
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has handed over clinical equipment worth USD $110,000 to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to be used for WFP’s Health and Nutrition programme. more
Population pressure: everything will never be enough again
“We are seven children. When we buy a loaf of bread once a year on Christmas day, we eat it at one sitting. We don’t have enough food to eat because of our number and yet our mother is pregnant again,” Kate, a 12-year-old girl of Kidongo village in Mbarara, Uganda laments. more
We need more support, says village health team worker
I met Basesa Richard riding his bicycle in Nyakasanga, western Uganda. He cycles from village to village, and moves from house to house, educating people on how to prevent mosquitoes that cause malaria. more
Nutrition campaign launches in Kenya
Nestle’s Equatorial Africa region (EAR) on Wednesday (23 May 2012) launched a consumer awareness campaign focusing on nutrition and the impact of nutrient deficiencies and lifestyle diseases. more
Zimbabwe hosts regional traditional medicine conferences
Zimbabwe is hosting two World Health Organization (WHO) events to advance the cause of African traditional medicine, according to Wendy Julias, WHO Communications Officer. more
WHO supports Zimbabwe’s neglected tropical diseases programme
The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in Zimbabwe, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture, has received around $265,000 of medication from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to treat neglected tropical diseases. more
Minister blames healthworker shortage on rich families
By Geoffrey Mutegeki Araali The Ugandan health sector is to continue lacking human resource in rural areas due to the proportion of doctors who come from rich families that live in urban areas, Dr Richard Nduhuura, the Minister of Health, … more
Developing country ministers to meet in US over sanitation
At least 60 ministers responsible for finance, sanitation and hygiene portfolios from over 30 developing countries are expected to participate in the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) High Level meeting on 20 April at the World Bank in Washington D.C, USA. more
People in Livingstone, Zambia to use beer packs as toilets due to lack of facilities
Residents in Livingstone are being forced to use empty beer containers and plastic bags to answer the call of nature due to a lack of toilets. more
Jeremiah’s story: counting the cost of medical negligence
Seven-year-old Jeremiah Tenywa has been in pain for over three years due to an injection, which was meant to cure his malaria, but instead turn his life to a misery. more
CDC intensifies support for typhoid containment in Zimbabwe
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dispatched a multi-disciplinary team to Harare to support the Ministry of Health and City of Harare response team with epidemiologic investigation, improved surveillance, water testing, and provision of laboratory supplies, the US Embassy Public Affairs section reports. more
Our correspondents are writing for change on HIV issues relating to young people, as well as drug use.