Science & Health

Industrial and commercial establishments in Burundi could face fines of up to 500,000 Burundi francs (around US $150) for dumping wastewater and other pollutants into rivers, lakes, or wetlands, under a new sanitation ordinance enacted this month. The law prohibits factories, workshops, and business premises from releasing untreated waste or oil residues into natural...

Burundi’s government has introduced a new sanitation ordinance that imposes fines on individuals and businesses found violating public hygiene and cleanliness regulations, part of a nationwide effort to improve sanitation and environmental health. The ministerial decree, signed in October 2025, sets penalties ranging from 5,000 to 500,000 Burundi francs (about US $1.50 to $150)...

GENEVA — The World Health Organization is calling for urgent global action to prevent adolescent pregnancies and end child marriage, warning that millions of girls across low- and middle-income countries continue to face serious health risks and lost futures due to early motherhood. More than 21 million adolescent girls become pregnant each year in...

GITEGA, Burundi (AP) — DHL Global Forwarding has delivered a mobile heart clinic to Burundi as part of a logistics collaboration with the German nonprofit organization kinderherzen. The clinic is intended to provide pediatric cardiac care for children with congenital heart disease (CHD), a condition that affects many in the region with limited access to treatment.

Burundi has joined 17 other African countries in incorporating the malaria vaccine into its routine immunization program. The initiative, supported by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, aims to reduce malaria-related deaths and alleviate the impact of the disease, which remains a leading cause of infant mortality in the country. The announcement was made by Cléophas...

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — The African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched a three-day training session for community health agents in Burundi to enhance efforts in detecting and controlling Mpox, a viral disease that continues to pose public health challenges. Dr. Jean Bosco Girukwishaka, an advisor to the director-general of Africa...

Arusha, Tanzania (Feb. 18, 2025) – The East African Community (EAC) has agreed to establish the East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE) as an official regional institution, a move aimed at strengthening efforts to improve energy access and sustainability in the region. The decision was made during the 16th Meeting...

Food safety experts across Africa are calling for more consistent and harmonized standards for food additives, citing discrepancies that are hindering both public health and trade. While some countries have adopted international guidelines, a lack of uniform interpretation of Codex standards is creating barriers to the free flow of goods and food safety progress across the continent.

The Burundian government is stepping up measures to prevent the spread of the Marburg virus, a deadly hemorrhagic fever, after neighboring Tanzania reported cases of the disease. Health authorities are particularly concerned about the risk of cross-border transmission and are urging heightened vigilance among the population, particularly those living in provinces near the Tanzanian border.

On Jan. 23, 2024, Dr. Lydwine Baradahana, Burundi's Minister of Public Health, met with a delegation from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The delegation, led by Dr. Ngashi Ngingo, the Technical Director for programs and continental coordinator of Mpox response efforts, visited Burundi to assist with the country's intra-action review of its...