Kalumbi Shangula

Rising scabies numbers concerns health authorities

Rising scabies numbers concerns health authorities

Martin Endjala The Ministry of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula says the country has recorded an alarming number of scabies cases since January this year. The cases have spiked since last month, which prompted the Ministry to conduct an assessment report to understand the severity of the situation. 3454 cases have been reported thus far since January, Shangula confirmed. According to the assessment, Kunene Region reported the most cases numbering 1 418 cases followed by Ohangwena with 708, Otjonzondjupa 402, Kavango West 375, Kavango East 204, Omusati 130, Oshana 104, Omaheke 46Hardap 20, Oshikoto 20, Erongo 17 and Karas…
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More investments needed to ramp up fight against TB

More investments needed to ramp up fight against TB

Tujoromajo Kasuto Namibia yesterday commemorated World Tuberculosis Day with the theme “Invest to End TB. Save Lives”, which according to Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments made by global leaders to end TB. This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end communicable disease. For the first time in over a decade, Shangula says, that TB deaths increased in 2020, putting the End TB programme…
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Namibia to reduce maternal and newborn mortality

Namibia to reduce maternal and newborn mortality

Tujoromajo Kasuto THE Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula, today launched the National Guideline for “Antenatal Care (ANC) for a Positive Pregnancy Experience 2020” for expecting mothers. This guideline aims to reduce maternal and newborn mortality. The overall goal is to eliminate preventable maternal deaths and near misses, stillbirths and neo-natal deaths through quality improvement strategies derived from the identification and analysis of circumstances around these deaths and near misses. Namibia has developed the National Guideline in line with the latest World Health Organization (Who) recommendations. The purpose of this guideline is to guide health care professionals to…
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Health Ministry shrugs off reports against J&J vaccine

Health Ministry shrugs off reports against J&J vaccine

Tujoromajo Kasuto Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula, says Namibia will go ahead with the procurement of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine despite reports declaring the vaccine to be less effective against the Delta variant. “We don’t base judgment on a single source,” sates Shangula adding that the public will be notified when the ministry has received the dosses and how much the government has forked out to acquire the dosses. The Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Ben Nangombe, also shruggs of reports that the Johnson & Johnson's Corona virus vaccine, which…
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Mixing COVID vaccines a no go for Namibia

Mixing COVID vaccines a no go for Namibia

Tujoromajo Kasuto Minister of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Kalumbi Shangula, says the country does not have a need for mixing Covid-19 vaccines. “Currently we have one vaccine and give only what we have, we continue doing as we have been doing up to now,” states Shangula further questioning “who said that mixing is more efficient, where is the medical evidence that mixing is much more powerful than taking the one vaccine.” According to media reports, countries in Europe, namely Spain, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom, have implemented a mixed dosage approach, where people get the first dose of…
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Third Wave has peaked says Shangula

Third Wave has peaked says Shangula

Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob has extended the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country for another 16 days until 31 July. With Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula, confirming that the Third Wave in Namibia now having peaked, hence its ravaging effect in the country the last two months. According Shangula the stabilising of the COVID-19 curve has been due to the restriction of movement between regions that was imposed at the end of June. “It is not possible to judge the effects of the measures of COVID-19 within two weeks. Since the introduction…
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Shangula shrugs off vaccine stock concerns

Shangula shrugs off vaccine stock concerns

Andrew Kathindi Minister of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Kalumbi Shangula, says the depletion of vaccination stocks in the country means that more people are protected. This is the minister’s response to concerns about the dwindling stock of vaccines in the country amidst a third wave that has ravaged the country, and if Government couldn’t have prepared better for it. “It means that the vaccine has been used up by people. In other words, many people have been vaccinated. Which means more people have got protection, that’s why they have used up the vaccine. Which in fact tells us there…
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Namibia receives medical equipment donation from German government

Namibia receives medical equipment donation from German government

Tujoromajo Kasuto Namibia received a batch of medical equipment as a donation to combat Covid-19 from the German Ministry of Defence at the Hosea Kutako International Airport today (Thursday). The donation is from the European Union (EU) Civic Protection Mechanism and consists of 300,000 gowns, 60 care bed, 40,000 Antigen rapid test, 20,000 safety goggles, and 500,000 FFP2 masks. On receiving it, Minister of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Kalumbi Shangula, says, “standing on the tarmac of the Hosea Kutako International Airport and witnessing the arrival of the majestic Antonov AN-225, the world’s largest aircraft ever built, carrying on board…
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Worrying numbers . . . as the country surpasses 100 000 cases

Worrying numbers . . . as the country surpasses 100 000 cases

Andrew Kathindi Namibia has now surpassed 100 000 cases of Covid-19, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has revealed. This comes as the country has also surpassed a previous record of deaths recorded in a day with the ministry announcing 70 deaths on Thursday, 8 July. “We have breached the mark of 100 000 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported since the pandemic started. It is very concerning that we are seeing a sustained increase in the number of cases being reported in other regions outside Khomas region,” Health Minister, Kalumbi Shangula, says. The country currently now has 23 328…
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Shangula rules out CDC mask guidelines

Shangula rules out CDC mask guidelines

Andrew Kathindi Namibia has ruled out new guidelines from the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) (USA) that people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 do not have to wear masks or adhere to social distancing in most settings. According to the Minister of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) , Kalumbi Shangula, people who have been vaccinated are not necessarily out of the woods yet. “We are doing exactly what we are doing now. We are not changing anything,” said Shangula. “I will then see, what is the basis for them saying so. Because if you’re vaccinated, you don’t immediately develop…
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