More people are seeking out traditional forms of medicine, from acupuncture to herbal medicines. The WHO is working to develop standards to make these healing practices implementable on a wide scale.
South African traditional healer Gogo Kamo uses technology to treat her patients remotely.
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Using centuries of indigenous knowledge along with modern healthcare could benefit more people.
Narrow-leaved kalmia is an invasive plant typical of boreal ecosystems. Its proliferation can hinder the reforestation of areas subject to disturbances.
(Jacques Ibarzabal/iNaturalist)
Jérôme Alsarraf, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC); Andre Pichette, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), and Jean Legault, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
Boreal plants produce molecules that are valued by traditional medicines and inspire the development of medicinal products by contemporary chemists.
Lions at a commercial facility in South Africa.
Courtesy Bloodlions
Relying on donor funding means that the funder ultimately determines the health priorities. This is one reason why many programmes in Africa focus on a single disease such as HIV.
Scientist Kafayat Falana testing the viability of cowpea germinated seeds in a laboratory in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria.
PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images
Most South African provinces are favourable for the establishment of a new invasive alien pest, which may lead to the extinction of native cycad species.
One of Tanzania’s approaches to managing the spread of the new coronavirus is through prayer.
Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
The pandemic will not end for anyone, anywhere until it is controlled in every country. Tanzania’s approach will make it that much harder for normality to return.
Many South Africans use traditional medicine.
Paballo Thekiso/AFP via Getty Images
Currently there is no specific antiviral drug to treat COVID-19 and no vaccine to prevent it. Most treatment strategies focus on symptomatic management and supportive therapy.
Netflix’s new show fails to critically explore the alternative therapies it promotes.
Adam Rose/Netflix
Pharmacist and Academic Lecturer (Pharmacy Practice Division, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand), University of the Witwatersrand
Global Head of Wildlife Research, World Animal Protection, and Visiting Researcher, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), University of Oxford