Africa: The Silent Killer That Leads to 5 Million Deaths a Year

Microbes such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi form part of our everyday lives - they live in us, on us and around us. Read more »

Africa: Development Aid Cuts Will Hit Fragile Countries Hard, Could Fuel Violent Conflict

Fragile and least developed countries have had their development assistance cut drastically, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. For instance,… Read more »

Africa: There Are Too Few Toilets in Africa and It's a Public Health Hazard - How to Fix the Problem

Imagine you are miles from the nearest restroom, and nature's call is urgent - a situation that might raise a mild panic during a hike or at a music festival. Now, picture that… Read more »

Africa: Six African Countries Shows How Healthy Housing Saves Children's Lives

Housing is a critical social determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy housing as a shelter that supports physical, mental and social wellbeing. Read more »

South Africa: Bad Food Choices - Clearer Labels Aim to Help South Africans Pick Healthier Options

South Africans have a hard time figuring out which foods are unhealthy when they go shopping. But this is about to change. Read more »

Africa: What's Your Chronotype? Knowing Whether You're a Night Owl or an Early Bird Could Help You Do Better On Tests and Avoid Scams

Timing is everything. For early risers and late-nighters alike, listening to your internal clock may be the key to success. From the classroom to the courtroom and beyond, people… Read more »

South Africa: Bird Flu Could Be Eradicated By Editing the Genes of Chickens - Our Study Shows How

Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially be used to create disease-resistant animals. This could curtail the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird… Read more »

Africa: Why Some People Got Blood Clots After the Astrazeneca Vaccine - New Clues

AstraZeneca in partnership with the University of Oxford developed one of the first vaccines against COVID. The vaccine, which used an adenovirus to smuggle instructions into human… Read more »

Africa: TB Vaccine - WHO Expert Explains Why It's Taken 100 Years for a Scientific Breakthrough, and Why It's Such a Big Deal

The BCG vaccine for TB has been used for 100 years. It is largely effective for children under five, but less so in older people and can't be used on patients who have certain… Read more »

Nigeria: Niger Delta Is Rich in Resources, but Environmental Destruction Is Pushing People Into Poverty

Nigeria's Niger Delta region is rich in natural resources. Its vast oil and gas deposits are the mainstay of the country's economy. Read more »

Africa: Diabetes Is South Africa's Second Biggest Killer Disease

Death rates in South Africa have declined slightly during the past few years. But the country faces a steady rise in both death and disability caused by increases in… Read more »

Chad: First Dengue Fever Outbreak - What You Should Know

Chad has reported its first dengue outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The country's health ministry declared an outbreak on 15 August and so far 1,342… Read more »

South Africa: DNA Tech Solves 40-Year-Old Mystery of Pine Tree Disease in South Africa

In the 1970s and 1980s, pine trees growing in various forestry plantations in South Africa's Western Cape province began to die in patches. These trees succumbed to a mysterious… Read more »

Zimbabwe: HIV-Positive Parents in Zimbabwe Struggle to Manage Their Children's Educatio

Over the past three decades researchers have explored various aspects of the impact of the HIV pandemic. One focus area has been children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Less… Read more »

Africa: Breakthroughs in Medicine - Top Virologist On the Two Most Important Developments for Africa

There have been several important breakthroughs in medical science recently. Crispr, mRNA, next-generation cancer treatments and game-changing vaccines are some of them. Oyewale… Read more »

South Africa: How President Ramaphosa's Covid Speeches Drew On Mandela's Ideas of Unity

In times of crisis, leaders wield more than just political power. They harness the art of rhetoric in a bid to unite their nations towards a common goal. South Africa, with a… Read more »

Africa: Parents Make Mistakes. So What Does 'Good Enough Parenting' Look Like?

There is a huge amount of pressure on parents today - from feeding babies the "best organic purees" to making sure older children get all the developmental opportunities they could… Read more »

Kenya: Tapeworm Is Spreading in Kenya - Demand for Meat Brings Parasite to New Areas

Echinococcus granulosus, a type of tapeworm, is a harmful parasite that affects 1 million people worldwide. Read more »

South Africa: Jerry Coovadia Remembered - a Champion of Science, Children and Compassionate Public Health

Deeply saddened as we in the South African health community were by the loss of Professor Jerry Hoosen Coovadia on 4 October 2023, I reflected on what he had come to mean in my… Read more »

Mauritius: Mauritius Sea Sponge Produces Chemicals That Can Kill Liver Cancer Cells - Findings Are a Positive First Step

For thousands of years, medicines have been developed from natural sources - mostly from plants. In recent decades, though, drug hunters have been looking at the immense diversity… Read more »

Africa: Dengue - Why Is This Sometimes Fatal Disease Increasing Around the World?

Something unusual seems to be happening with dengue, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne viral disease found across swathes of tropical Africa, Asia and the Americas. As with most… Read more »

South Africa: Jerry Coovadia - the South African Doctor Who Led the Fight Against HIV in Children

South African-born Professor Hoosen "Jerry" Coovadia, renowned academic and prominent anti-apartheid activist, passed away on 4 October. As a paediatrician I was privileged to know… Read more »

Liberia: Medicine or Food? People With Diabetes in Liberia Sometimes Have to Choose Between the Two

Diabetes is on the rise globally. Since the 1980s the number of people living with the disease has quadrupled from 108 million to 537 million. Read more »

Africa: The Long Road to a New Malaria Vaccine, Told By the Scientists Behind the Breakthrough - Podcast

The world has waited decades for a malaria vaccine, and now two have come along in quick succession. On October 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that a new… Read more »

Africa: 'We Could Eradicate Malaria By 2040' Says Expert After Revolutionary Vaccine Is Approved By WHO

The World Health Organization has approved a new vaccine that scientists argue will be a game-changer in the fight against malaria, which kills half a million people in Africa… Read more »