January 18
Africa: Excessive Social Media Use During the Covid-19 Pandemic Exacerbated Adolescent Mental Health Challenges
How does time spent online, and especially social media, affect the brains and behaviours of children and youth? Read more »
Africa: Students Do Better and Schools Are More Stable When Teachers Get Mental Health Support
When it comes to mental health at school, typically the focus is on helping students, especially as they emerge from the pandemic with heightened levels of anxiety, stress and… Read more »
January 15
Africa: Ultra-Processed Foods - Here's What the Evidence Actually Says About Them
The perils of ultra-processed foods received widespread coverage in recent months - thanks in no small part to the publication and promotion of TV presenter and doctor of virology… Read more »
January 17
Africa: Caffeine - Here's How Quitting Can Benefit Your Health
Caffeine is the most consumed psychoactive compound in the world. Even if you don't drink coffee or tea, you probably still regularly consume caffeine since it's found in… Read more »
January 19
South Africa: Jobs in South Africa - the Labour Market Is Recovering From Covid - but Unskilled and Less Educated People Are Still Being Left Behind
For more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country's economy has been unable to create enough jobs for its growing army of… Read more »
January 15
Africa: The Shame and Pleasure of Masturbation - Poor Things Gets Girls' Early Sexual Feelings Right
This piece contains spoilers for Poor Things. Read more »
January 16
Africa: Covid Barely Gets a Mention These Days - Here's Why That's a Dangerous Situation
The United States experienced its second largest COVID wave of the pandemic in January 2024. For the year to December 2023, in England COVID rates peaked at around one in 24… Read more »
January 15
West Africa: Kush - What Is This Dangerous New West African Drug That Supposedly Contains Human Bones?
A new drug called kush is wreaking havoc in west Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone where it is estimated to kill around a dozen people each week and hospitalise thousands. Read more »
January 14
Africa: 60% of Continent's Food Based on Treasure Trove of Wheat, Rice and Maize, Neglected
African countries have become reliant on a few food items. Just 20 plant species now provide 90% of our food, with three - wheat, maize and rice - accounting for 60% of all… Read more »
January 11
Africa: Long Covid - Damaged Mitochondria in Muscles Might Be Linked to Some of the Symptoms
It's estimated around 3% of people in the UK experience long COVID - persistent, long-lasting symptoms after a COVID-19 infection. Read more »
January 09
Africa: Some Believe the 1889 Russian Flu Pandemic Was Actually Caused By a Coronavirus - Here's Why That's Unlikely
COVID-19 was the first coronavirus pandemic. The original Sars virus from 2003 and the Mers virus that created a health emergency in South Korea in 2015 were both coronaviruses,… Read more »
Africa: Wanting to 'Move On' Is Natural - but Women's Pandemic Experiences Can't Be Lost to 'Lockdown Amnesia'
The COVID-19 pandemic was - and continues to be - hugely disruptive and stressful for individuals, communities and countries. Yet many seem desperate to close the chapter entirely,… Read more »
January 07
Senegal: Senegal's Small Scale Gold Miners Still Use Poisonous Mercury - How to Reduce the Harm
"Do not fish in these waters." "Contains high levels of mercury." Read more »
South Africa: Taxes On e-Cigarettes - South Africa Must Strike a Balance Between Economic Arguments and Health Concerns
The 21st century has seen a massive expansion in the ways that people can consume tobacco and nicotine. Innovative new products include electronic nicotine delivery systems ("ENDS"… Read more »
January 03
Africa: Stressed Out? Why Mindfulness and Meditation Help Us Cope With the World
In a world fraught with anxiety, stress, and environmental and humanitarian disasters, people are looking for ways to cope. Many have turned to practices originating in ancient… Read more »
December 29, 2023
Africa: What Covid Diaries Have in Common With Samuel Pepys' 17th-Century Plague Diaries
People keep diaries for all sorts of reasons - to record events, work through difficult situations, or manage stress and trauma. The ongoing COVID inquiry shows diaries also have… Read more »
December 21, 2023
Africa: I Have Covid. How Likely Am I to Get Long Covid?
EG.5 or the Eris COVID variant is dominant in parts of Australia. Eris, along with other circulating strains, are descendants of Omicron. Read more »
December 20, 2023
Africa: For Many Who Are Suffering With Prolonged Grief, the Holidays Can Be a Time to Reflect and Find Meaning in Loss
The holiday season is meant to be filled with joy, connection and celebration of rituals. Many people, however, are starkly reminded of their grief this time of year and of whom -… Read more »
December 18, 2023
Africa: mRNA Covid Vaccines Make 'Unintended Proteins' - We've Discovered How to Fix This Problem
mRNA, a type of genetic material that provides the instructions your cells need in order to make proteins, used to be a term mainly used by scientists. But since COVID arrived many… Read more »
Africa: Loneliness Is a Major Public Health Problem - and Young People Are Bearing the Brunt of It
Writing in the Week, journalist Theara Coleman has declared 2023 "the year of the loneliness epidemic". In May, the US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, said loneliness posed a public… Read more »
December 17, 2023
Africa: Dermatologist Speaks Sunscreen, Even If You're Rich in Melanin
Sunburn is a sign that skin has experienced significant levels of damage. Ultraviolet light can change a person's DNA structure, which can lead to cancer. At the same time,… Read more »
December 13, 2023
Africa: We Followed 14 'Long Haulers' for 3 Months. Here's What They Told Us About Living With Long Covid
At least 65 million people around the world are estimated to have long COVID, which describes the continuation or development of symptoms at least three months after an initial… Read more »
Africa: Climate Change Risks Triggering a Spike in Infectious Disease Outbreaks - Three Reasons Why
Climate change is our planet's most immediate existential threat, and will likely only worsen for the foreseeable future. Read more »
December 05, 2023
Africa: Could Antivirals Reduce Your Risk of Long Covid? Where the Research Is Up to On Prevention and Treatment
Evidence is continuing to accumulate on the burden and frequency of chronic effects after a COVID infection, which fall under the umbrella term "long COVID". Read more »
November 28, 2023
Africa: Umaru Shehu - Nigerian Public Health Giant Who Played a Major Role in Polio Eradication
Professor Emeritus Umaru Shehu, who died on 2 October 2023, was born in Yerwa (Maiduguri), Nigeria, in 1930. Widely regarded as one of the country's early leaders in public health… Read more »