July 25
South Africa: South African Teens Are Struggling - Western Cape Study Shows 33 Percent Have Symptoms of Depression
In South Africa, little research has been done on depression and anxiety among younger adolescents, those between the ages of 10 and 14. Existing studies have primarily targeted… Read more »
Africa: The Human Virome - Why Viruses Could Be As Important for Good Health As Gut Bacteria
We often hear about the importance of the human microbiome - the vast collection of bacteria and fungi that live on and inside us - when it comes to our health. But there's… Read more »
July 23
Africa: Pandemic Effects Linger, and Art Invites Us to Pause and Behold Distance, Time and Trauma
When I finished the manuscript for my book The Pause, which looked at the COVID-19 pandemic through the idea of "pausing," a notion frequently invoked in pandemic discussions of… Read more »
Nigeria: 11 Million Nigerian Children Are Going Hungry - How This Hurts Their Health and What Needs to Be Done
Unicef, the UN agency for children, reported in June 2024 that around 11 million Nigerian children were experiencing severe child food poverty. Read more »
Africa: Lb.1, or D-Flirt, Is the Newest Covid Subvariant. What Do We Know About It? Where Has It Come From?
Headlines are again warning of a new COVID variant in Australia. This time it's LB.1, or as some experts have dubbed it, "D-FLiRT". Read more »
Africa: What's the Difference Between 'Strep Throat' and a Sore Throat? We're Developing a Vaccine for One of Them
What's the difference? is a new editorial product that explains the similarities and differences between commonly confused health and medical terms, and why they matter. Read more »
July 22
Africa: TB - Gene Editing Could Add New Power to a 100-Year-Old Vaccine
Tuberculosis dates back more than 9,000 years. It is the most infectious bacterial disease and in 2022 10.6 million people fell ill with it. Of these 23% occurred in Africa. Read more »
July 18
Africa: The HIV Epidemic 40 Years On - 5 Essential Reads On Breakthroughs, Blind Spots and New Challenges
In June 1981 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a rare form of pneumonia in young gay men in California. Although they didn't know it at the time, these… Read more »
Egypt: Is Your Desk Job Killing Your Back? Ancient Egyptian Scribes Had the Same Aches and Pains, Say Researchers
Tens of thousands of years ago, during a period of Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom (around 2649-2130 BC), it was rare for people to be able to read and write. From an… Read more »
South Africa: 144 South Africans With Mental Disability Died in the Life Esidimeni Tragedy. Lessons From the Inquest Judgment
A South African high court ruling marks an important milestone in holding public officials to account for their decisions. Read more »
Africa: Long Covid Puzzle Pieces Are Falling Into Place - the Picture Is Unsettling
Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing… Read more »
July 03
Africa: What Can You Do If You Think Your Teen Already Has Unhealthy Social Media Habits?
Many parents are worried about how much their children use social media and what content they might encounter while using it. Read more »
July 17
Africa: Beating River Blindness - Blackfly Bites Dramatically Reduced After Breeding Sites Are Destroyed With Machetes
Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease that causes severe itching, disfiguring skin conditions and visual impairment. Read more »
July 09
Africa: New Research Shows Small Lifestyle Changes Are Linked to Differences in Teen Mental Health Over Time
Judging by recent headlines and policy ideas, you might think screen time is the only lifestyle behaviour influencing teen wellbeing. Read more »
July 08
Nigeria: Surviving Breast Cancer - Nigerian Women Share Their Stories
"I believe I will still beat it again." These are the words of a Nigerian woman, Didi, who feared a recurrence of her cancer - but saw herself as a survivor. Read more »
June 28
Africa: Alzheimer's Risk Higher If Your Mother Had Cognitive Problems
The genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is more strongly influenced by the mother's side than the father's side, a recent study has discovered. Read more »
July 05
Africa: Three Animals That Can Detect Disease in Humans
When it comes to accurately diagnosing a disease, you might think you need expensive, high-tech machinery and equipment capable of looking deep beneath the skin at what's going on… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Healthcare System - Eight Steps That Would Get It On the Right Track
South Africa's healthcare system suffers from widespread problems in its governance. A number of indicators point to this dysfunction. These include the large number of managers in… Read more »
July 03
Africa: HIV Breakthrough - Drug Trial Shows Injection Twice a Year Is 100 Percent Effective Against Infection
A large clinical trial in South Africa and Uganda has shown that a twice-yearly injection of a new pre-exposure prophylaxis drug gives young women total protection from HIV… Read more »
June 28
Africa: We Finally Know Why Some People Got Covid While Others Didn't
Throughout the pandemic, one of the key questions on everyone's mind was why some people avoided getting COVID, while others caught the virus multiple times. Read more »
June 27
Africa: Mpox - What to Watch Out for, Treatment and What to Worry About
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… Read more »
June 26
Nigeria: Nigeria's Cholera Outbreaks - Why They Happen and Are So Hard to Control
On 9 June 2024 the Lagos State government declared a cholera outbreak. Three days later, it announced that 324 suspected cases had been reported in the state, including 15 people… Read more »
June 25
Africa: Success in Treating Persistent Pain Now Offers Hope for Those With Long Covid
The emergence of Long COVID as a mysterious new illness has refocused attention on the incapacitating nature of persistent fatigue. Read more »
South Africa: Technology Makes It Possible to Diagnose Diseases On the Spot
Digital technology has hugely improved healthcare in many ways. Read more »
June 23
Nigeria: Your Wig Could Be Poisoning You - Study Finds Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals in Synthetic Hair in Nigeria
Well-groomed hair is a symbol of beauty for many black African women. Natural hair requires special care and attention, though, which can be time consuming. Wigs (human or… Read more »