August 17, 2022
Africa: When Covid-19 or Flu Viruses Kill, They Often Have an Accomplice - Bacterial Infections
The 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in the loss of over 3% of the world's population - at least 50 million people. But it wasn't the flu virus that caused the majority of these… Read more »
August 16, 2022
South Africa: People With Intellectual Disability Have a Right to Sexuality - but Their Families Have Concerns
Many South Africans living with intellectual disability don't have opportunities to be part of community life. They may lack the opportunity to learn, work or enjoy leisure… Read more »
South Africa: The Key to Treating TB May Be in a Common Carbohydrate. What We Know So Far
Curdlan is a popular carbohydrate in the food industry. Its name is derived from the word "curdle", and as it suggests, it's widely used as a thickener and stabiliser in everything… Read more »
August 15, 2022
Africa: The Rise of 'Dr. Google' - the Risks of Self-Diagnosis and Searching Symptoms Online
Virtual health care was adopted more widely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many people accessing health-care providers remotely. However, easy and convenient access to… Read more »
South Africa: Legal Claims for Medical Mistakes Are On the Rise in South Africa - What's Behind the Trend
Medico-legal claims - claims based on medical negligence or malpractice - have skyrocketed in South Africa. Recent figures indicate a growth rate of 23% for medico-legal claims in… Read more »
August 14, 2022
Africa: The Covid Lab Leak Theory Is Dead. Here's How We Know the Virus Came From a Wuhan Market
My colleagues and I published the most detailed studies of the earliest events in the COVID-19 pandemic last month in the journal Science. Read more »
August 10, 2022
Africa: Cigarette Advertising Aggressively Targets Kids in Low - and Middle-Income Countries, a New Study Finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Read more »
August 11, 2022
Africa: Enduring Colonialism Has Made It Harder to End the Covid-19 Pandemic
Rich countries are hoarding vaccine doses while poor countries become breeding grounds for new COVID-19 variants. Read more »
Africa: Monkeypox Vaccines - What's Available and Why They Aren't a Silver Bullet
In July 2022 the World Health Organization declared the recent current monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency. Since the start of the year thousands of cases have been… Read more »
Africa: Why Doesn't Monkeypox Have a New Name Yet?
As monkeypox vaccination programs roll out and health authorities release information about how to reduce the spread of the virus, progress on another aspect of the outbreak is… Read more »
South Africa: The Right to Food - Activism and Litigation Are Shifting the Dial in South Africa
Even before the pandemic and the recent global rise in food prices, millions of South Africans were hungry. In 2019, nearly 18% of households could not access enough nutritious… Read more »
August 10, 2022
Africa: Monkeypox Can Become Endemic - Here's How It Can Be Stopped in Its Tracks
Since May of this year, more than 26,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide - prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a public health emergency. Read more »
August 08, 2022
Africa: Why Am I So Tired and When Is It Time to See the Doctor About It? A GP Explains
Everyone feels tired sometimes. But how do you know whether your tiredness is a problem worth seeing a doctor about? And with all the mental and emotional strain we have been under… Read more »
Africa: Sex Work Is Real Work - Global Covid-19 Recovery Needs to Include Sex Workers
During the pandemic, business shifted from in person to work-from-home, which quickly became the new normal. However, it left many workers high and dry, especially those with less… Read more »
Africa: New Covid Variants Could Emerge From Animals or From People With Chronic Infections - but It's Not Cause for Panic
As the COVID pandemic rolls on, we're becoming all too familiar with the continued emergence of new variants. Some can thwart immunity from vaccines and prior infections,… Read more »
South Africa: Women Have Always Trailed Men in Research Output - How Covid Made the Situation Worse
The under-representation of women in research is well documented. Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this inequality and disrupted the research… Read more »
Africa: How Does Monkeypox Spread? An Epidemiologist Explains Why It Isn't an STI and What Counts As Close Contact
Monkeypox is caused by a virus that, despite periodic outbreaks, is not thought to spread easily from person to person and historically has not spurred long chains of transmission… Read more »
August 07, 2022
Africa: Ivermectin, Blood Washing, Ozone - How Long Covid Survivors Are Being Sold the Next Round of Miracle Cures
People with long COVID are going online to look for support. But these valuable discussion forums, chat groups and other online peer-support networks can also spread harmful… Read more »
August 04, 2022
Africa: Should We Be Worried About Our Pet Cats and Dogs Getting Covid?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID, originated from bats and then, probably after passing through an intermediary host, gained the ability to infect humans. Read more »
Africa: Long Covid-19 and Other Chronic Respiratory Conditions May Stem From an Overactive Immune Response in the Lungs
Viruses that cause respiratory diseases like the flu and COVID-19 can lead to mild to severe symptoms within the first few weeks of infection. These symptoms typically resolve… Read more »
August 01, 2022
Africa: The Tongue - How One of the Body's Most Sensitive Organs Is Helping Blind People 'See'
Ever wondered why kissing feels better than holding hands? The tongue is a pretty incredible piece of kit, though notoriously difficult to study, due to its position inside the… Read more »
July 21, 2022
Africa: Long Covid - With No Treatment Options, It's Little Wonder People Are Seeking Unproven Therapies Like 'Blood Washing'
A recent investigation published by the British Medical Journal revealed that long COVID patients are travelling abroad to seek expensive "blood washing" treatment. Read more »
July 28, 2022
Africa: Food and Drinks Are Getting Sweeter. Even If It's Not All Sugar, It's Bad for Our Health
Humans have an evolutionary preference for sweetness. Sweet foods, like fruit and honey, were an important energy source for our ancestors. Read more »
July 19, 2022
Africa: Covid - Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease Is Higher After Infection - but Maybe Only Temporarily
Since the pandemic began, we've learned a great deal about the disease behind it. We now regard COVID-19 as not just a respiratory disease, but a multi-system condition. Read more »
July 26, 2022
Africa: How the Omicron Subvariant BA.5 Became a Master of Disguise
The omicron subvariant known as BA.5 was first detected in South Africa in February 2022 and spread rapidly throughout the world. As of the second week of July 2022, BA.5… Read more »