Author: alphyjuma

To understand the new smart monitors and other pro devices of tech health, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new factor” line. Routinely evaluating your risk factors for various medical conditions, screening for cancer and other diseases, and assessing your lifestyle habits helps you stay healthy. It’s…

To understand the new smart monitors and other pro devices of tech health, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new factor” line. Routinely evaluating your risk factors for various medical conditions, screening for cancer and other diseases, and assessing your lifestyle habits helps you stay healthy. It’s…

By Kioko Nyamasyo COVID-19 caught the whole world unaware. No country had prepared itself for such a strain on their healthcare systems, social lives and economies. In March 2020, the virus was novel to many, especially here in Kenya. Information on how to protect oneself was scanty and there was also a lot of misinformation about the virus. To contain the spread of the deadly virus, both state and non-state actors and agencies had to mobilize massively. Lead by the World Health Organization (WHO), Covid-19 containment measures and protocols were introduced. These included restrictions on movements, shut down of offices,…

The Covid 19 pandemic, which broke out in December 2019, brought the whole world to a stand still. In Uganda, a lock down was imposed in March 2020, which came along with quite a number of challenges, most notably that of gender based violence or domestic violence. While the full scale of the impact of Covid 19 may not be known until much later, current evidence suggests that the pandemic exposed and execebated the underlying inequalities between men and women. According to the Senior Superintenden of Police (SSP) Ms. Atuhairwe Maureen, of the Child and Family Protection Department of the…

With a total of 9800 preterm deaths annually in Uganda, health practitioners have stepped up their efforts to reduce these alarming statistics numbers to an acceptable figure. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children born with very low birth weight of less than 2.5kgs who are estimated at 20 million worldwide be initiated on human breast milk immediately to boast their immunity and avoid retarded growth.  Dr. Victoria Nakibuuka, a neonatologist at Nsambya Hospital and head of the paediatric Unit says. Nsambya Hospital has adopted a no formula policy and emphasized donation and recipient of breast milk at the…

By Sharon Atieno Mr. Daniel Otunge, Science Africa’s Deputy Executive Director, has been nominated to become a member of the Scientific Board of the International Basic Science Programme (IBSP). IBSP focuses on capacity building in basic sciences research and education and on promoting the application of basic sciences and advanced technologies for societal development. IBSP acts in the four disciplines of the basic sciences, namely mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, including their applications and interdisciplinary areas. Operational since 2005, IBSP is the only international forum in the United Nations, which makes recommendations to the Director-General of the United Nations Educational,…

Safe-Toilets, a panacea to rural sanitation and open defecation problems By Jejje Muhinde; In the rural sectors of Kayonza district, Eastern Rwanda, open defecation and unimproved sanitation is still one of the challenges faced by households. Lack of readily accessible toilets by some of the households has exposed people to infectious diseases and terrible odors, while others are left to relieve themselves outside in places like fields, bushes, forests, roadsides and open spaces. In this remote rural area, some people who do not have access to a hygienic toilet and a place to wash their hands are exposed to an…

Many girls undergo FGM not because they want to, but because they feel the need to.In Kenya, The prevalence of FGM in women aged 15–49 is 21%. The rate of Child Pregnancy in Kajiado County is 20 percent according to Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014. Girls who go through FGM are denied their right to education, childhood experiences and exposed to health risks and multiplesexual partners. Grace Sekento of Maria Ad3elaide Rescue Centre together with Ann Pulei of Osiligi Odede Rescue Centre join Purity Nashipae to share their experiences in addressing FGM in Kajiado County. This story was first…

By Sharon Atieno Majority of households in Kenya, including in urban areas, are dependent on primary fuels such as charcoal, firewood, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene. According to the 2019 Kenya Household Cooking Sector Study, firewood is the most commonly used fuel at 54.6%, followed by charcoal at 14.6%, kerosene at 14% and LPG at 13.4%. However, use of charcoal, wood and kerosene leads to emission of large amounts of pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, and oxygenated and chlorinated organic compounds, have been the leading sources of Household Air Pollution (HAP). According to the…

By Namiganda JAEL Following the outbreak of the Covid 19 Pandemic that affected business world over and interrupted the education sector of approximately 15 million learners in Uganda, Government took drastic measures to close all educational institutions of learning to curtail the spread of the virus which took a toll on the education sector and teachers’ fraternity. During the first lock down in March 2020, government thought of various interventions to help teachers out especially those working for private institutions to have and maintain a livelihood. he two-time nationwide lockdown announced by Government in March 2020 and June 2021 due…