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South Africa To Roll Out Vaginal Rings To Fight HIV Scourge HIV

Published

2 years ago

September 29, 2023

A “revolutionary” vaginal ring to prevent HIV is soon to be rolled out in South Africa — which has the largest epidemic of the virus in the world, a global financing partnership said on Friday.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said three groups involved in the fight against AIDS in the country have, with its support, placed an initial order of 16,000 rings — that are expected to become available in the coming months.

“We are convinced that this new (pre-exposure prophylaxis) ring can have a revolutionary impact on HIV prevention,” said Global Fund executive director Peter Sands.

The silicone ring, which is worn constantly and replaced monthly, releases dapivirine, an antiretroviral drug.

The initial rollout will serve as a first step to increase access to treatment and make the rings readily available in a country where almost 8 million people live with HIV, according to the Global Fund.

Anti-retroviral drugs help contain the virus and prevent it from infecting others and have been key in curbing the spread of AIDS over the past couple of decades.

But pre-exposure prophylaxis usually entails taking a daily pill or receiving a monthly jab — methods that do not suit everyone, AIDS charities say.

Some might struggle to remember to take their pills or prefer something more discreet given the HIV-related stigma, says the Global Fund, which brings together governments, multilateral agencies, private and civil society groups.

“Women need access to a range of safe and effective options to choose from, including the dapivirine ring, so they can decide to use what works best for them,” said Ntombenhle Mkhize, CEO of the AIDS Foundation of South Africa.

HIV has a long and tragic history in South Africa.

Through a tragic combination of cost and political denial, life-saving drugs that came onstream at the end of the 1990s were not available to poor South Africans and several hundred thousand AIDS-sufferers died, according to one estimate.

Today, fatalities have plummeted but new infections are still high.

Recent studies have shown that the ring, which has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, is safe, easy to wear and significantly reduces the risk of infection.

This year, women and girls have accounted for 53 percent of all HIV infections globally, according to UNAIDS.

Women are disproportionately affected by HIV in South Africa, accounting for 64 percent of the 7.4 million adults living with the virus in the country.

”We hope that many more countries will follow South Africa’s move,” said Sands.

The ring has been approved and subjected to implementation studies in a number of countries across the continent, including Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Headline

We’ll Deny You Visa If You’re Traveling To Give Birth, US Tells Nigerians

Published

2 days ago

July 28, 2025

Editor

The United States Mission in Nigeria has warned Nigerians planning to travel to the US primarily to give birth to secure American citizenship for their children.

In a post on X, the US Mission stated that using a visa for the main purpose of childbirth is prohibited under US immigration policy.

“Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have U.S. citizenship is not permitted. Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent,” the US Mission said.

This warning is coming following the rising scrutiny of visa applications and growing enforcement around what is informally referred to as “birth tourism”, the practice of traveling to the US to give birth so the child obtains automatic citizenship.

Recall that the United States Department of State had also revised its visa reciprocity policy, announcing that most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.

The US maintained that its visa policies are based on global technical and security benchmarks aimed at protecting the integrity of its immigration systems.

Headline

Three Dead, Several Injured As Train Derails In Germany

Published

3 days ago

July 28, 2025

Editor

Rescue forces work at the site of a derailed train near Riedlingen on July 27, 2025. (Photo by Thomas Warnack / dpa / AFP) / Germany OUT / GERMANY OUT

Three people were killed and several others injured when a regional passenger train derailed in a wooded area in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said.

About 100 passengers were aboard the train, when the accident occurred at around 6:10 pm (1610 GMT) near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state.

Contacted by AFP, police initially said four people had been killed before correcting their statement to three victims.

Authorities declined to elaborate on the number of injured or how seriously hurt they were, though tabloid Bild cited emergency workers saying there were 50 injured.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed several deaths and numerous injured. Two train carriages had derailed “for reasons yet unknown”, it added.

Authorities were currently investigating the circumstances of the accident, the operator said, and traffic had been suspended over a 40-kilometre (25-mile) stretch of the route.

German media reported that a landslide might have caused the accident as severe storms swept through the region, according to weather services.

The passenger train was travelling from the German town of Sigmaringen to the city of Ulm when it derailed in a forested area.

– Outdated train infrastructure –

In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.

He added that he was in close contact with both the interior and transport ministers, and had asked them to “provide the emergency services with all the support they need”.

Footage from the scene of the accident showed yellow-and-grey-coloured train carriages lying on their sides, as firefighters and emergency services tried to get to the passengers.

According to local TV station SWR, helicopters arrived shortly after the accident to transport the injured to hospitals in the area, and emergency doctors from nearby hospitals were alerted.

German transport is regularly criticised by passengers for its outdated infrastructure, with travellers facing frequent train delays, and various technical problems.

The government has pledged to invest several hundred billion euros over the next few years, in particular to modernise infrastructure.

In June 2022, a train derailed near a Bavarian Alpine resort in southern Germany, killing four people and injuring dozens.

Germany’s deadliest rail accident happened in 1998 when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn derailed in Eschede in Lower Saxony, killing 101 people.

AFP

Headline

Man Stabs 11 People At Walmart Store In US

Published

3 days ago

July 28, 2025

Editor

At least 11 people were injured in a stabbing at a Walmart store in the Midwestern state of Michigan on Saturday, with police saying it appeared to be a random attack.

A 42-year-old male suspect was in custody, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told a press conference.

“Based on the information that we have at this time, it appears they were random acts,” Shea said of the attack in Traverse City, Michigan.

“The victims were not predetermined,” Shea said, adding that the suspect, a Michigan resident, apparently acted alone and used a “folding knife.”

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Six victims were in critical condition late Saturday, and five were in serious condition, Munson Healthcare said in a statement.

At least three of the victims were undergoing surgery, according to Shea. The victims included six men and five women.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she was in touch with law enforcement regarding the “horrible news.”

“Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence,” Whitmer said in an X post.

Eyewitness Julia Martell told The New York Times she heard screaming and saw a man with a knife running through the store’s pharmacy section.

Martell said she saw the man shoving and stabbing people as he moved through the store.

The 30-year-old witness described seeing three people with stab wounds and “blood everywhere.”

Shea said the stabbing spree initially started near the checkout area of the store.

“It is very uncommon for our area,” he said of the violence, adding that citizens in the Walmart “assisted” in apprehending the suspect.

Traverse City is a popular tourist destination located on the shore of Lake Michigan.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said agents were providing “any necessary support to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation of the attacks at the Walmart.”

AFP