Eswatini News

Intensified efforts to maintain a Polio free Eswatini

Eswatini has joined countries like Botswana, Mozambique, and Malawi in intensifying efforts to protect more people from polio. Following the finalisation of the National Polio Preparedness and Response Plan, the country went on to conduct a Polio Outbreak Simulation Exercise (POSE). This was through a two-day Tabletop Exercise (TTX) conducted from 29 to 30 November 2022 after several weeks of intense planning.

“Our Planet, Our Health” towards a healthier tomorrow

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Eswatini in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) brought together more than 100 key stakeholders to discuss issues around health and the environment under the theme, “Our Planet, Our Health”.  The stakeholders included government sectors, regulatory authorities, international organizations,  non-governmental organizations, municipalities, academia, and members of th

“WHY SHORTER TB REGIMEN IS THE MOST PREFFERED BY PATIENTS IN ESWATINI”

Siphephelosethu Ntjangase is a 21-year-old university student from Hluti village in the Shiselweni region who suffers from pulmonary drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB).  In October 2021 before getting checked, he noticed that he was losing weight, sweating at night and had a persistent cough that had lasted over a year. From the first test, the diagnosis was not conclusive which forced him to opt for a second opinion and that is when he tested positive for tuberculosis (TB).

BUILDING CORE CAPACITIES FOR POINTS OF ENTRY THROUGH MULTISECTORAL COLLABORATION AND...

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters the third year, there is a need for building resilient border health systems to curb the international spread of diseases. The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 which was conducted in 2018 across 19 technical areas revealed limited capacity and major gaps under the Points of Entry. This poses a great risk of the international spread of diseases between Eswatini and neighbouring South Africa and Mozambique as well as other countries in Southern Africa.

Giving 110%: Eswatini’s early rollout of COVID-19 vaccines 

“I didn’t think that I could get COVID out here in my village,” says Linda Simelane at her home in Sibebe in rural Eswatini.

“I stay away from people, I stay alone, but it happened that I started getting flu symptoms.” 

At the peak of Africa’s first wave of infections in mid-2020, Ms Simelane’s son took her to get tested for COVID-19, but as she waited for her results at home, her condition rapidly deteriorated.

“When I woke up I just couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t walk and I had a headache. I managed to call my son who came quickly and took me to the hospital.”