Solar powered community borehole donated by Doctors without Borders In the city of Harare, Zimbabwe, local residents have grown tired of waiting for the government to provide them with safe and reliable drinking water. For over a decade, the city council has failed to fulfill this basic need, leaving many households with undrinkable water. The City of Harare council has been rationing water  for three or more days in a week , communities in Harare are now taking matters into their own hands.  Residents are pooling their resources to fund the drilling and installation of boreholes and water systems in their neighborhoods. One community in the Glen-view area provides a prime example. Neighbors on a particular street have agreed to each contribute $150 towards the project. This initial funding allows them to hire companies to drill boreholes and set up solar-powered pumps to bring the water directly into their homes.   "The water actually is undrinkable, and some organiz...

  Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash Cheryl Walter , University of Hull The new strain of the mpox virus is spreading quickly along the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is “ the most dangerous yet ”, says the World Health Organization. The current outbreak has been driven by sexual transmission but there is evidence this strain can also be passed on through close skin-to-skin contact. Those now being infected include schoolchildren, healthcare workers and entire households. Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda –- previously unaffected by mpox – have reported cases since mid-July 2024. Meanwhile, in South Africa, an outbreak has killed three people so far. Border authorities are screening travellers into and out of the country. Virologist Cheryl Walter explains the history of mpox, the symptoms and why we should be worried about virulent virus mutations. What are the symptoms? Symptoms of mpox start off being quite ...