Africa

Zimbabwe has been hit by a huge exodus of health professionals amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 2,200 leaving to take jobs in the US, UK, Australia and neighbouring states, according to the government’s Health Service Board, the BBC reports. This is more than double the number of doctors, …

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has confirmed an influenza virus outbreak in the country after a series of tests carried out on dozens of patients. Doctors had noted an influx of patients with flu-like symptoms and the medical institute said that out of 36 samples, four had tested positive …

Nigerian lawmakers have rejected a bill introduced by South-east Ekiti State Senator, Biodun Olujimi aimed at empowering women and promoting gender equality. The senator was forced to withdraw the bill after her male colleagues opposed “socio-cultural and Islamic concerns”. “Of course everyone is afraid to empower women … for cultural …

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo announced in a national speech on December 15 that the country was closing its land borders to prevent a fourth wave of covid-19 infections and to curb the spread of the virus. The president said his government was “monitoring the level of threat of the disease …

The Ethiopian government has accused the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHRC), Unesco and the World Health Organization (WHO) of ignoring the destruction in the northern regions of the country, recently taken over by the army and the forces allied with the rebels of Tigray, reports the BBC. The …

Police in Uganda have released on bail medical workers who were arrested while marching to parliament in the capital Kampala to demand better pay and working conditions. The medical workers’ strike started early last month, but escalated this week, following an order from the health ministry that all striking intern …

Govenment in Egypt has set a law on drugs in the workplace, which means that civil servants can be dismissed if proven to be drug users. On May 23, the Egyptian House of Representatives approved a bill dismissing drug addicts state servants from their job. The parliament said at the …

A South African court ruled that the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, must return to prison, saying his medical parole was “illegal”. Zuma had been jailed for failing to attend an inquiry into corruption during his presidency but was released on 5 September for an undisclosed medical condition. “The time …

The Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, has urged people to comply with preventive measures and get vaccinated in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus variant. His declaration comes amid a rise in recent days of the number of daily infections. “The situation is not good. The day before …

British authorities have said they have removed all African countries from the red list, which impose travel bans between those states and the UK after a new variant of the coronavirus is discovered in southern Africa. The restrictions were first imposed last month in order to slow the spread of …