Disease control and prevention

Health

Why shutting the border sends the wrong signal on Ebola

As Ebola spreads in Congo and reaches Uganda, experts warn that border closures weaken surveillance and drive movement to unmonitored crossings
People crossing the border from the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Bunagana, in the south-west of Uganda.
HealthScience & Technology

Pandemic treaty deadline nears as disputes over pathogen-sharing rules persist

Disputes over pathogen-sharing rules risk delaying the WHO pandemic treaty ahead of a May 2026 deadline
Three-dimensional renditions of three respiratory viruses: (left: SARS-CoV-2; centre: RSV; right: influenza virus).
Environment

Uganda among world’s most polluted countries as air quality worsens

Uganda ranks eighth globally for air pollution, with Kampala among the world's most polluted capitals and monitoring gaps understating the true scale
A high-angle view of a crowded Namirembe Road in downtown Kampala, featuring a dense flow of pedestrians, commuters, and vehicles amidst commercial buildings and advertising billboards.
HealthPolitics & PolicyScience & Technology

US health deals offer Africa money — and take something far more valuable

Eighteen African countries have signed bilateral health deals with the US — but experts flag serious conditions in the fine print
A laboratory technician in white protective gear and a face mask holds a rack of test tubes in a bright, modern molecular biology lab in Mozambique. In the background, another technician works at a large diagnostic machine.
HealthOpinion

Global Fund: after decades of progress against AIDS, TB and malaria, momentum falters

At a time when the world is on the verge of making incredible progress in reducing AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria-related deaths, some partners have stepped back from the fight
A mother, carrying a baby on her back, getting a vaccine from a USAID mobile clinic in South Africa
Health

Here’s how the global health system can build back better after US aid cuts

By the time the Department of Government Efficiency came for USAID, many Americans viewed global health as a relic of the early response to HIV/Aids, an excuse for other governments to spend less on health
A mother, carrying a baby on her back, getting a vaccine from a USAID mobile clinic in South Africa
HealthScience & Technology

How does Marburg virus spread between species? Photos taken by young Ugandan scientist provide important clues

Scientists have known that major outbreaks often originate in wildlife – swine flu, avian flu and even SARS-CoV-2 all started with animals. Often missing is direct observation of spillover interfaces – this may be the first large-scale visual record of such an interface in nature
Bats in a cave in Maramagambo Forest in the Queen Elizabeth National Park; a python can also be seen in a crevice in the cave.
HealthPolitics & Policy

Trump’s foreign aid cuts will cripple Africa’s HIV/AIDS response

US funding to fight HIV/AIDS has saved 26 million lives since 2003, with the greatest benefits felt in sub-Saharan Africa
Exterior shot of the CDC-supported National Health Laboratory and Diagnostic Services facility in Kampala, Uganda, 2022. U.S. Ambassador Natalie A. Brown and others walk towards the entrance. A PEPFAR flag is prominently displayed.
EconomyHealth

Fitch warns mpox outbreak could dent regional economies

An escalation of the mpox outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa could lead to a slowdown in economic activity and financial distress for governments of the affected countries
Various currency notes of African countries are seen in this photo
Health

Mpox outbreak could become pandemic

There have been 15,132 confirmed cases of mpox in 16 African countries since the beginning of 2024, with six new countries affected in just 10 days
A mother, carrying a baby on her back, getting a vaccine from a USAID mobile clinic in South Africa
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