Tag: tuberculosis

24 March: World Tuberculosis Day 2022

World Tuberculosis Day is observed on 24 March to spread awareness concerning the deadly disease. Tuberculosis (TB) is among the leading causes of death globally. As a result, millions of people worldwide mark this day to raise awareness of TB and the challenge in eradicating it.

World Tuberculosis Day will be hosted this year underneath the theme, “Invest to End TB. Save Lives.” It underlines the need to intensify the battle against TB and keep the pledges international leaders have undertaken to end TB. It is highly vital given the COVID-19 outbreak, which has threatened the achievements gained in eliminating TB at jeopardy, and also the effort of the WHO to attain Universal Health Coverage.

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World No Tobacco Day 2020: Protecting Mauritian Youth from Industry Manipulation

The global campaign will debunk myths and expose devious tactics employed by these industries. It will provide young people with the knowledge required to easily detect industry manipulation and equip them with the tools to rebuff such tactics, thereby empowering young people to stand up against them.

This is especially important right now as studies show that smokers have a higher risk for a severe case of coronavirus. WHO calls on all young people to join the fight to become a tobacco-free generation.

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World No Tobacco Day 2019: How tobacco endangers the lung health of people worldwide

World No Tobacco Day 2019 will focus on the multiple ways that exposure to tobacco affects the health of people’s lungs worldwide. These include:

Lung cancer. Tobacco smoking is the primary cause for lung cancer, responsible for over two-thirds of lung cancer deaths globally. Second-hand smoke exposure at home or in the workplace also increases the risk of lung cancer. Quitting smoking can reduce the risk of lung cancer: after 10 years of quitting smoking, risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker.

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Access to HIV and TB Services in Mauritius

Report presented by YUVA at the ToT of ARASA, Johannesburg

  1. What is Mauritius’ HIV prevalence?

Mauritius HIV prevalence is 0.9%. This report was according to the World Bank collection of development indicators revealed by Trading Economics (2016). Over 70 million people have been infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and approximately 35 million people have died of HIV, from the onset of the epidemic. Also, a global record revealed that about 36.7 million people living with HIV as at the end of 2015 according to the World Health Organization. Although, Mauritius has been able to control the spread of HIV infection; the trend of HIV infection has it that in 2004 -2008, the estimated prevalence of HIV infection in the country was 1.2%, between 2009-2010 a prevalence rate of 1.15% was recorded. Between 2011 to 2013, a prevalence of 1.0% was reported and in 2014-2015, an estimated prevalence of 0.9% was observed for the population aged 15 -49 years according to the report of Trading Economics (2018). Continue reading “Access to HIV and TB Services in Mauritius”

20 April: Volunteer Recognition Day

There are cynics out there who will say that true altruism is a myth, that it doesn’t exist, and that nobody is capable of doing anything unless they are motivated by their own self-interest in the end. But even the most embittered cynics would be hard-pressed to explain why anyone in their right mind would make the choice to travel to the poorest parts of the world, where hunger, sickness and war ravage the population and death is as commonplace as life, to help care for orphaned children. Or why a comfortable middle-class citizen would choose to spend his or her afternoons teaching neglected teenagers how to read in the dirtiest, most gang-ridden part of town. Or why any nurse would risk his or her life to care for wounded soldiers on the very front. Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes, but they are all the real-life saints and superheroes of this world. And although they don’t ask to be paid for all of their selfless work, they definitely deserve our utmost respect and appreciation, which is exactly what Volunteer Recognition Day is all about. Continue reading “20 April: Volunteer Recognition Day”