BY: Loice Achieng Ombajo – Fear of COVID-19 is driving increased over-the-counter (OTC) sales and in-hospital prescriptions of antibiotics – and fueling a silent pandemic in its wake. Globally, antibiotic use in hospitals has surged since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though studies show that only 8% of patients admitted to hospital with …
BY: Nkasi Wodu – On March 21, 137 civilians were killed in localities near Niger’s border with Mali, in what the Niger government described as attacks perpetrated by “armed bandits”. Sadly, the deadly attacks were not a standalone incident or an anomaly. Since January, four separate attacks by armed groups left at least 300 people …
BY: Tijani Salami and Adaeze Oreh Two weeks back, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) ‘conditionally’ called off a 10-day strike which crippled the already challenged health sector. Some of the reasons for the indefinite strike included non-payment of various doctors’ salaries and arrears, non-recruitment of house officers, residency training and hazard allowances. The …
BY: Roseline Orwa – When the government in March received 1.02 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, it prioritised essential service providers and people over 58, but left out Kenyans living with HIV and Aids. That about 25,000 people in the country die from Aids-related illnesses yearly is a good reason to prioritise this segment …
BY: Minda Dentler – To the Editor: I am a polio survivor, and my legs are paralyzed because I did not have access to the polio vaccine when I was an infant in India in the late 1970s. As an immunization advocate, I am hopeful that an approach like encouraging the use of vaccine passports …