Hope Mafaranga

By Hope Mafaranga In Vancouver, Canada,  The State Minister of Health for General Duties Sarah Opendi has said Uganda will be free from Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by 2020. Opendi said 37 districts have attained the targeted disease elimination status and mass treatment was stopped. According to World Health Organisation, NTDs a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries. The diseases affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year.  Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock are those worst affected. “In December 2018, the district of Moroto, Nakapiripirit  and Nabilatuk conducted their last round of mass treatment and  the ministry is the process of conducting final impact assessment and  this will mark the end of treatment in the country ,” Opendi sa

Genome Editing a potential to eliminate human diseases By Hope Mafaranga Scientists have asked African leaders to adapt to genetically modified  modern technology including genome editing, saying it has the potential of eliminating human diseases and improve  food security.   Prof Yaye The appeal was  by Prof. Yaye  Gassama the chairperson of Africa Union  High Level Panel on Emerging Technology  during the Africa Biennial Bioscience Communication ( ABBC) 2019  symposium in at Sheraton Hotel Pretoria, in South Africa.  She called upon leaders to  pass laws and regulations that allows research and commercialization of genetically modified products. Prof. Gassama, said, said, genome editing has the ability of curing leukemia,  AIDS can be defeated  by eliminating HIV gene  in infected cells. Genome Editing is a way of making specific changes to a target location of the DNA of a cell or organism. An enzyme cuts the DNA at a specific sequence, and when this is repaired by