The A-Z of Disease

Skin eczema or atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory condition characterized by dry, itchy or reddened skin. According to Faith Agneta, a skin eczema survivor, there are several ways of coping with this skin condition, and the most important is to understand and manage the triggers, including heat, dry or cold air, dust mites, mould, fragrance or stress. She had this conversation with Rose Mukonyo...

Every child has openings in the abdominal wall that close before or immediately after birth. A hernia will develop if these normal openings do not close allowing the intestines or other organs to push through them. They may occur in both children and adults and are classified according to where they are located that is the umbilical (belly button) and inguinal (groin) hernias. In this episode with...

When a young baby between the ages of 0-4 months cries for no apparent reason for more than three or four hours a day, three or more days a week may be having colic. Doctors do not yet know the cause of colic, but it may be due to digestion problems or sensitivity to something in the baby’s milk that the mother ate or the formula. Rose Mukonyo discusses Colic in this episode with Dr Peninah Musyok...

There are various effects of screen time on young children and the stages of development key among them being speech delay. Our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses this with Dr Peninnah Musyoka, a Pediatrician at Machakos Children’s Clinic

Acute Kidney Injury in newborn babies can be defined as the abrupt cessation or diminution of kidney function. This condition can be prevented by making sure that the mother breastfeeds in the early hours of birth to activate the kidney function. Our reporter Rose Mukonyo speaks to Dr Peninah Musyoka, a paediatrician at Machakos Children's Clinic on this condition and how it can be managed and pre...

Cervical cancer is a malignant tumour of the cervix, the lowermost part of the uterus. It can be prevented by PAP Smear screening and HPV vaccine. In this episode, our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses more on this with Dr. Vincent Oyiengo, a gynaecological oncologist.

October is breast cancer awareness month and one way of management is through surgery. Operations used to treat breast cancer may include removing the breast cancer (lumpectomy), removing the entire breast (mastectomy), removing several lymph nodes and removing both breasts. Rose Mukonyo discusses this with Dr George Orera, a surgeon, in this episode.

Data shows that almost 75 per cent of the world's antibiotics are used on farm animals to prevent illness in low welfare conditions. This worsens the superbug crisis which could result in 10 million deaths per year by 2050. This is because farm animals, human beings and the environment are interconnected in one health. In this episode, Rose Mukonyo engages Dr Victor Yamo of World Animal Protection...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in this episode, our reporter Rose Mukonyo takes us through some important facts about breast cancer from a pathologist's perspective in discussion with Dr Ancent Kituku, a pathologist and an adjunct faculty at USIU.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to trea...

Over the years palliative care has been associated with terminal illnesses with a number of people associating it with death. But this is not the case as a good number of those seeking palliative care after suffering life-threatening diseases improve their livelihoods and even get better. Palliative care is very important in patients suffering from diseases like cancer hypertension, diabetes, card...

Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease that is caused by the Hepatitis B virus which is easily spread by exposure to infected bodily fluids which may include infected blood products, having unprotected sex, and from mother to child through pregnancy, birth and nursing. This can be prevented by vaccination. In this episode, Rose Mukonyo discusses more on this with Dr. Peninah Musyoka.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A is preventable by vaccine and spreads from contaminated food or water or contact with someone who is infected. The symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite and low-grade fever. This condition clears up on its own in one or two months. In this episode, Rose Mukonyo discusses thi...

Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs immediately after eating a particular food. The cause of such food allergies is usually unknown and the symptoms may include hives, digestive problems, or swollen airwaves. In today's episode which is a continuation of our previous episode, our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses food allergies with Dr. Peninah Musyoka.

foreign substances, commonly called allergens, which are harmless to most people. This causes symptoms that can range from just annoying to possibly life-threatening. Common allergens include some foods, dust, plant pollen, and medicines. In this episode, which will be the first in this series of discussions on allergies, our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses with Dr. Peninah Musyoka, what brings ab...

Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection causing an itchy, blister-like rash on the skin. It is highly contagious to those who haven't had the disease or been vaccinated against it. The most characteristic symptom is an itchy, blister-like rash on the skin. Chickenpox can be prevented by a vaccine and treatment usually involves relieving symptoms, although high-risk groups may receive ant...

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the abdomen, glands, bones, and nervous system. Our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses with Dr. Peninah Musyoka, a Pediatrician at Machakos Children’s Clinic on how TB affects children and how...

Gallbladder stones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can vary in size and number and may or may not cause symptoms. People who experience symptoms usually require gallbladder removal surgery. Symptoms include acute abdominal pain, yellowness of skin and eyes, and sometimes fever. Our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses this condition with Dr. Ancent Kituku, a Consultant Surgical Pathologis...

Cervical cancer occurs in the cells of the cervix which is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. Various strains of the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, play a role in causing most cervical cancer. In this episode, Dr. Ancent Kituku, a Consultant Surgical Pathologist discusses more on cervical cancer hosted by our reporter Rose Mukonyo.

Malnutrition is when a person's diet does not provide enough nutrients or the right balance of nutrients for optimal health. It includes undernutrition, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related non-communicable diseases. In this episode, our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses this with Dr. Peninah Musyoka, a Pediatrician at Machakos Children's Clinic.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease occurs when stomach acid frequently flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach; the esophagus. This backwash can irritate the lining of your esophagus. This happens in both children and adults. Our reporter Rose Mukonyo discusses this condition with Dr. Peninah Musyoka, a Pediatrician at Machakos Children's Clinic.

Urinary tract infections are one of the leading conditions in children and may cause a burning effect when the child is passing urine, pain, and urgency with urination, blood in the urine, abdominal or pelvic pain, fever, and vomiting. Dr. Peninah Musyoka, a pediatrician at Machakos Children’s Clinic explains more on UTIs in this episode with our reporter Rose Mukonyo.

Adenoid Hypertrophy is the unusual enlargement of the adenoid tissue which is located in the upper airway between the nose and the back of the throat. This enlargement occurs most commonly in children under the age of 5 and may occur with or without any infection. Dr. Peninah Musyoka, a Pediatrician at Machakos Children’s Clinic discusses more on this condition with Rose Mukonyo.

We discuss World Prematurity Day, celebrated on Wednesday 17th November 2021. This is a day that provides an opportunity to call to attention the heavy burden of death, disability, the pain and suffering that preterm birth causes. This day focuses on initiatives to increase awareness, reach, and engagement about the issues of preterm birth, preterm survival, and optimal development of preterm to r...

Neonatal Sepsis is a blood infection that occurs in an infant younger than three months old. This can be seen in the first week of life. There are a variety of infectious agents that can lead to sepsis. In this episode, Rose Mukonyo discusses this topic with Dr. Peninah Musyoka, a Pediatrician at Machakos Children's Clinic.