Afya mazingira

October 28, 2025 Next week, Bogotá, Colombia, will host the Seventh International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2025), the first time the event is held in Latin America. The global gathering comes at a critical moment — reproductive rights face threats worldwide, and a US $1.5 billion funding gap looms over family-planning programs. In Africa, these issues are particularly pressing. The World Health Organization (WHO) cautions that maternal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa exceed the 2030 global target by more than five times, with millions of women still lacking access to modern contraceptive methods. UNFPA emphasizes that unsafe abortions, inadequate family-planning services, and reproductive tract infections continue to jeopardize the health of women and girls.   “Childbirth remains a significant risk for many women in Africa,” states Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Enhancing access to contraception and reproductive health services is essentia...

  Preeclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy condition marked by high blood pressure, is claiming lives across Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa. Though preventable, it continues to threaten both mothers and babies — particularly in low-resource regions. Mary, a 26-year-old from Embu, remembers her ordeal vividly. “I felt my feet swell and constant headaches,” she recalls. “At the clinic they said my pressure was high. A week later, I nearly died.” She delivered her baby prematurely at 32 weeks. According to WHO and Kenya’s Ministry of Health, hypertensive disorders — including preeclampsia — account for nearly 20% of maternal deaths in the country. Regional studies estimate Kenya’s prevalence at 5.6–6.5%, while a review across sub-Saharan Africa places it at around 13%. In a 2024 study at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, 49.5% of infants born to mothers with preeclampsia were underweight. This highlights not only the danger to mothers but also to newborns struggling to survive. ...

  Preeclampsia: Tishio kwa Wajawazito na Watoto Wachanga Na: Afyamazingira Staff Writer • Imetangazwa: 29 Oktoba 2025 Dalili za ugonjwa  (Picha: Cardinal na Pine) Utangulizi — Hatari Isiyo na Dalili za Mapema Preeclampsia ni hali inayojitokeza baada ya wiki 20 za ujauzito ambapo mama hupata shinikizo la damu na dalili za uharibifu wa viungo kama figo au ini. Hali hii inaweza kuendelea haraka na kuwa hatari kwa maisha ya mama na mtoto. Nchini Kenya na maeneo ya Afrika Kusini mwa Jangwa la Sahara, preeclampsia inachangia kwa kiasi kikubwa matatizo ya uzazi na vifo vya mama na mtoto. Hadithi ya Mary Mary (jina limebadilishwa), mwenye umri wa miaka 26 kutoka Embu, alianza kuhisi kuvimba na maumivu ya kichwa katika ujauzito wake wa kwanza. Vipimo vya kliniki vilionyesha shinikizo la damu kidogo lililoinuka. Baadaye alianza kuona ukungu machoni na kuhisi maumivu makali. Alikimbizwa hospitalini na kujifungua mapema wiki 32; mtoto wake alizaliwa na uzito wa kilo 1.4 na alihitaji uanga...

Kenya’s Malaria Comeback: Why Mosquito Nets Are Losing Their Power By Afyamazingira Staff Writer   October 2025 A Familiar Fever Returns As dusk falls over the shores of Lake Victoria, the soft hum of mosquitoes cuts through the evening silence. For families in Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Siaya, this sound signals not rest—but risk. Mothers tuck their children under mosquito nets that once promised safety, but the fevers still come. Hospitals fill, thermometers rise, and the ghost of malaria—thought to be waning—stirs again. Kenya’s long war with malaria has seen moments of triumph. Mass distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying, rapid testing, and the new malaria vaccine all gave hope that the country was nearing victory. Yet, fresh statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) warn of a slowdown in progress. The data reveal a troubling trend: malaria transmission is rising again in several regions—and the tru...