As the world grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change, the question persists: Is there true change happening? Despite global awareness, initiatives, and policies, the urgency to address climate change has never been more pressing. Climate change is no longer a distant threat—its effects are evident in extreme weather events, rising sea levels, disrupted […]

In the constantly changing world of business, growth is a primary goal for organisations of all sizes. However, the business landscape is being reshaped by various factors, including technological advancements, economic fluctuations, societal changes, and competitive pressures. In this challenging environment, businesses must adapt, innovate, and strategise effectively to not only survive but thrive.  

Currently, about 21 million people worldwide are receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapies, which can reduce the HIV viral load in the blood to undetectable levels.  This has changed HIV from a deadly disease to a chronic and manageable disease. Moreover, the risk of transmission can now be substantially reduced with the availability and use of antiretroviral

The first case of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Nigeria was detected in 1985 and reported at an international conference in 1986. There were two cases reported by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), one being a 13-year-old sexually active girl and the other, a commercial sex worker from

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease. One develops malaria after being bitten by an infected female Anopheles mosquito, known to spread the plasmodium parasites to humans. Malaria has been defined as a life-threatening disease by the World Health Organisation (WHO), hence the need to apply various strategies to combat the disease. In 2022, almost 249

World Lung Day, is celebrated on September 25 every year. It is an important global initiative dedicated to raising awareness about lung health and promoting respiratory well-being of people around the world.  The endeavors on the World Lung Day are aimed at highlighting the importance of healthy lungs and to address the causes and prevention

Movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Me-Too Movement have been instrumental in advancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). There is a growing emphasis on integrating EDI into every aspect of society. Many organisations acknowledge the necessity of integrating specific practices into their policies, procedures, and conduct to promote EDI. However, it’s important to

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Business Development has become increasingly prevalent and impactful. Data Driven, Business Decision Making AI enables businesses to analyse vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, companies can extract valuable insights from customer behaviour, market trends, and operational processes. These insights inform strategic decisions, optimise resource allocation,

In recent times, the importance of data analysis in gaining business insights and making critical business decisions has become increasingly evident. By employing data analysis techniques to gather, clean, and analyse relevant data, NIFDEM can offer valuable insights to their clients to support their decision-making processes. By analysing this data, NIFDEM can obtain insights into

Russell Rensburg, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa has a two-tiered, and highly unequal, healthcare system. The public sector is state-funded and caters to the majority – 71% – of the population. The private sector is largely funded through individual contributions to medical aid schemes or health insurance, and serves around 27% of the population. The public sector is underfunded

Matthew Quaife, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Finn McQuaid, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Two years of battling COVID-19 has been bad news for tuberculosis (TB) programmes. Respiratory clinicians and researchers have had their time and focus directed elsewhere. And TB has taken advantage. In 2021, the number of TB deaths rose for the first

Kelly Chibale, University of Cape Town The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the first six African countries that will receive technology to produce messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. This comes off the back of the news that a South African consortium – part of the WHO’s technology transfer hub set up in 2021– had successfully replicated Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Ina Skosana

Richard E. Chaisson, Johns Hopkins University In 1993, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared tuberculosis (TB) a global public health emergency. It urged nations to coordinate efforts to avert millions of deaths. In January 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19, another airborne infectious disease, a public health emergency of international concern. The similarity between the global responses to these two pandemics

Thomas Barnay, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC) As of February 8, 2022, the cumulative number of Covid-19-related deaths globally is close to 5.8 million. With more than 2,300 Covid-19 deaths per million people, the United States, Belgium, Italy and UK have recorded the highest number of fatalities, followed by Spain and France (with about 2,000).

Emmanuel Olamijuwon, University of St Andrews The increasing use of social media, particularly in African countries, offers several opportunities to promote messages about sexual health behaviours among young adults on the continent. It can complement existing sexual health promotion strategies, particularly when physical distancing measures limit opportunities to meet and interact in person. In addition, the

Each year, the WHO Global TB Report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic, and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, at global, regional and country levels. This is done in the context of global TB commitments, strategies and targets. The 2021 edition of the report has been