Africa

World News

Vaccination Efforts In Sub-Saharan Africa Echo AIDS Epidemic

4:26pm February 16, 2021

by Eyder Peralta

Sub-Saharan Africa has only administered a few dozen COVID-19 vaccines. It brings back memories of the AIDS epidemic when hundreds of thousands died because life-saving drugs were delayed.

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Deforested land on Indonesia's Borneo Island. Activists are using satellites to monitor deforestation, but cloud cover sometimes hides it from view.

Pillagers Of Tropical Forests Can't Hide Behind Clouds Anymore

2:33pm February 15, 2021

by Dan Charles

Environmental watchdogs now can detect deforestation even when it's hidden from sight by rain and clouds. They're using data from radar on a European satellite.

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World News

Ancient Brewery Unearthed In Egypt

7:14am February 15, 2021

A team of American and Egyptian archeologists discovered a brewery back about five thousand years. The factory likely provided beer that was used in royal rituals.

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In a photo from Guinea's previous Ebola outbreak, medical staff clean their protection suits in March 2015 in Conakry, Guinea. Guinean authorities declared a new Ebola outbreak Sunday.

Guinea Faces First Ebola Outbreak In Years

7:55pm February 14, 2021

by Matthew S. Schwartz

At least three people have died and four more are confirmed infected with the Ebola virus. The government declared an outbreak in a rural community.

A health worker inoculates 72-year-old Olga D'arc Pimentel with a dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. She lives on the banks of the Rio Negro near Manaus, Brazil. A small study in South Africa has raised concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine's

Health & Safety

You Think The U.S. Has Vaccine Issues? 130 Countries Haven't Even Started Vaccinating

11:20am February 14, 2021

by Jason Beaubien

For low- and middle-income countries, just obtaining doses has been a challenge. And now concerns are being raised about the effectiveness of the more affordable AstraZeneca option.

A Look At The Inequities Around The COVID-19 Vaccine In South Africa

4:31pm February 12, 2021

by Nurith Aizenman

South Africa is a case study of the inequities around the coronavirus vaccine. It has one of the world's worst outbreaks, fueled by a new variant. Yet officials are struggling to buy enough vaccines.

The Democratic Republic of Congo saw the end of its second-worst Ebola outbreak in June. More than 2,000 people died in that outbreak. Burial workers, seen above in 2019, follow safe burial practices to mitigate the spread of the virus.

2nd Person Dies Of Ebola In Congo, Marking Virus's Return

8:12am February 11, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Democratic Republic of Congo beat its second-worst outbreak of the Ebola virus in June. The new victims indicate the disease's resurgence in the area.

A vial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. A small study in South Africa has raised concerns about its effectiveness, but the World Health Organization has now stated: "Even if there is a possibility that this vaccine has a reduction in efficacy, we see

Up Against Mutants, WHO Says AstraZeneca Vaccine Is Still A Good Bet

2:30pm February 10, 2021

by Jason Beaubien

A small study in South Africa has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine, particularly in fighting virus variants.

Kenyan Musician Composes Song About Life After COVID-19

6:16am February 10, 2021

by Eyder Peralta

Coronavirus infection rates in Kenya are the lowest they have been since the beginning of the pandemic, and life seems back to normal. A new song is capturing that moment.

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After a small study raised concerns about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the variant in South Africa, the country put its AstraZeneca vaccine plans on hold. "It is time, unfortunately, for us to recalibrate our expectation of COVID-1

Health & Safety

Why South Africa Is Putting The AstraZeneca Vaccine On Hold

1:38pm February 08, 2021

by Maria Godoy

A study raised concerns about its effectiveness against the coronavirus variant sweeping through the country — although the data is too preliminary for definitive conclusions.