October 06, 2023
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 »
October 05, 2023
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 »
October 03, 2023
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 »
October 02, 2023
Africa: Brush Your Teeth! Bad Oral Hygiene Linked to Cancer, Heart Attacks and Renal Failure
It's normal to have bacteria in your mouth. But harmful bacteria have been linked to a host of health problems. Medical scientist Glenda Davison and microbiologist Yvonne Prince,… Read more »
September 28, 2023
South Africa: South African Men Are Much More Likely to Die From TB Than Women - Here's Why
Around the world, men are more likely to get TB and to die from it than women. Read more »
September 24, 2023
Southern Africa: Young People With Sexual, Gender Diversity At Higher Risk of Stopping HIV Treatment Because of Stigma, Harsh Laws
Ending the AIDS pandemic - particularly in eastern and southern Africa - cannot be achieved unless more resources are channelled to meet the needs of key vulnerable populations. Read more »
September 20, 2023
Africa: Your Unique Body Odor Could Identify Who You Are and Provide Insights Into Your Health - All From the Touch of a Hand
From the aroma of fresh-cut grass to the smell of a loved one, you encounter scents in every part of your life. Not only are you constantly surrounded by odor, you're also… Read more »
September 19, 2023
Africa: Nipah Virus Outbreak in India - What You Need to Know
There has been an outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in Kerala, India. Five people have caught the virus, two of whom have died. Read more »
September 18, 2023
Africa: Racial Trauma Has Profound Mental Health Consequence - a Black Clinical Psychologist Offers 5 Ways to Heal
Since European expansion into the Americas, white people have demonized Black people and portrayed them as undesirable, violent and hypersexual. Originally, the intent of this… Read more »
September 19, 2023
Africa: Chatbots for Medical Advice - Three Ways to Avoid Misleading Information
We expect medical professionals to give us reliable information about ourselves and potential treatments so that we can make informed decisions about which (if any) medicine or… Read more »
Africa: Chronic Pelvic Pain Affects Up to 26 Percent of Women - Our Latest Research Brings Us Closer to Better Treating It
Chronic pelvic pain affects between 5% and 26% of women worldwide. It can be associated with conditions such as endometriosis (where tissue resembling the lining of the womb is… Read more »
September 17, 2023
Nigeria: Resistance to Antibiotics in Northern Nigeria - What Bacteria Are Prevalent, and Which Drugs Work Against Them
Antimicrobial resistance - the ability of microorganisms to resist drugs that have been developed to control them - is a severe problem in African countries. The continent has the… Read more »
September 14, 2023
Kenya: Kenya - Ongata Rongai Boom Town Destroyed Two Vital Rivers - New Study Flags a Major Health Risk
Over the past 10 years, Ongata Rongai, a satellite town on the edge of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, has experienced uncontrolled development and exponential population growth. Because… Read more »
September 12, 2023
Africa: How Evasive and Transmissible Is the Newest Omicron Offshoot, BA.2.86, That Causes Covid-19? 4 Questions Answered
The latest variant, or sublineage, of SARS-CoV-2 to emerge on the scene, BA.2.86, has public health experts on alert as COVID-19 hospitalizations begin to rise and the new variant… Read more »
Africa: CDC Greenlights Two Updated Covid-19 Vaccines, but How Will They Fare Against the Latest Variants? 5 Questions Answered
On Sept. 12, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans ages 6 months and up, hours after its expert… Read more »
September 07, 2023
Africa: Why Mothers and Babies Will Suffer More As Africa Grows Hotter
As Africa gets hotter, mothers and babies are most at risk. Why is this and what can be done about it? Matthew Chersich, a specialist in climate change and maternal health,… Read more »
August 30, 2023
South Africa: 'Motherhood Is Hard' - Young, HIV-Positive Moms Open Up About Regret and Anger
For any woman, pregnancy and giving birth are major life-changing experiences. Becoming a mother brings with it a range of emotions and, in many African cultures, positive emotions… Read more »
August 28, 2023
Africa: Finding a Live Brain Worm Is Rare. 4 Ways to Protect Yourself From More Common Parasites
News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman's brain in a Canberra hospital last year. The woman had previously been admitted to hospital… Read more »
August 29, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Traditional Medicines Should Be Used in Modern Health Care
Traditional medicines are part of the cultural heritage of many Africans. About 80% of the African continent's population use these medicines for healthcare. Read more »
August 27, 2023
Nigeria: People With HIV Are Stigmatised - Study Shows Support From Family and Friends Is Crucial to Well-Being
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions most affected by HIV. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 1.8 million people are living with the virus. Read more »
South Africa: TB Research Shows a Good Diet Can Cut Infections By Nearly 50%
For centuries, we have known that tuberculosis is a social disease. It thrives on poverty and social factors such as malnutrition, poor housing, overcrowding, unsafe work… Read more »
August 23, 2023
Ghana: Accra's Most Vulnerable Residents Were Failed During Covid - the Government Didn't Understand Their Realities
Containment measures, such as the lockdowns introduced to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, had devastating consequences for vulnerable urban populations globally. Read more »
August 22, 2023
Africa: 'Dirty Red' - How Periods Have Been Stigmatised Through History to the Modern Day
About a year ago, at a friend's wedding, a fellow guest asked whether I knew that modern sanitary towels owe their origins to resourceful World War I field nurses who discovered… Read more »