|
Southern Africa is suffering the deadliest regional outbreak of cholera in at least a decade. At the epicentre are Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Things could get worse as warmer weather and heavy rains fuel the crisis. At the same time worldwide stockpiles of the cholera vaccines have run dry. Last year there were urgent requests for 76 million doses. Only 38 million were available. Vaccinologist Edina Amponsah-Dacosta unpacks the reasons behind the shortage and what’s being done about it.
The better-heeled citizens of Johannesburg used to take pride in their city. It was, compared with many other megacities on the continent, a well-functioning place to live, with the added benefit of good weather and beautiful tree-lined streets. But the city has started to sour for even its wealthier residents as the frequency of water cuts rises, and the city’s crumbling infrastructure buckles after years of neglect and under-investment. Craig Sheridan provides some practical advice on water safety for those whose taps are running dry.
|
Edina Amponsah-Dacosta, University of Cape Town
The world’s stockpile of cholera vaccines has run dry, bad news for cholera-ravaged southern Africa. Why is this and what is being done to address vaccine shortages in Africa?
|
Craig Sheridan, University of the Witwatersrand
Water can make you ill for two reasons: it can contain toxic chemicals or pathogenic organisms.
|
Sophia Labadi, University of Kent
The fate of several colonial statues in Africa continues to be a subject of controversy.
|
Kehinde Allen-Taylor, Technical University Braunschweig
Plastic tax would work better than a ban in Lagos, Nigeria.
|
From our international editions
|
-
Diana Bell, University of East Anglia
Bird flu is decimating species already threatened by climate change and habitat loss.
-
Mahan Mirza, University of Notre Dame
Ramadan encourages acts of charity. This also poses a question for many Muslims as they consider what more could be done to feed the hungriest in the world, many of whom are in Gaza.
-
Meredith Oyen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A gloomier economic outlook in China and tightening state control have combined with the influence of social media in encouraging migration.
-
Robin Chataut, Quinnipiac University
End-to-end encryption provides strong protection for keeping your communications private, but not every messaging app uses it, and even some of the ones that do don’t have it turned on by default.
|
|
