COVID-19

ADF STAFF For years, bad information has undermined public health officials as they try to contain disease outbreaks. Rumors and falsehoods about how and when people get infected helped fuel the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS,…

ADF STAFF COVID-19 cases reported in Africa dropped by 46% over a one-week stretch in early August, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). By late August, global COVID-19 cases had dropped by 24% over a one-week period. WHO…

ADF STAFF Social media can be an effective tool to spread accurate information about COVID-19 and help guard against the pandemic’s spread. Its many platforms also can be used to disseminate false information about the disease, its…

ADF STAFF Five days has become the recommended time for people infected with COVID-19 to isolate themselves before returning to their normal routines. But new research suggests that that period might be too short to keep people from…

ADF STAFF Before the omicron variant of COVID-19 was discovered in South Africa in November 2021, reinfections were rare. Once a patient recovered from the virus, he or she typically did not get it again. Omicron changed that. Now many…

ADF STAFF While Djibouti is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, its health care system also is facing a measles outbreak in the north. In the eyes of Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh, it’s the perfect time to add capacity.…

ADF STAFF Animals and people who have suffered chronic COVID-19 infections may be causing new coronavirus variants to surface. But that’s no reason to panic, experts say. Chronic COVID-19 is rare and has been reported only in…

ADF STAFF Nigerian health officials are warning that a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections could be building in the country after a sharp increase in new cases in recent weeks. According to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and…

ADF STAFF With the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant spreading rapidly around the world, scientists agree the viruses are more transmissible than their predecessors. What’s unclear, however, is just how quickly they are…

ADF STAFF The latest strain of the COVID-19 virus has scientists concerned about the speed at which it spreads as they urge people to continue to take precautions against infection. Nicknamed “Centaurus,” the new strain is identified as…