October 30, 2023
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 »
October 27, 2023
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 »
October 26, 2023
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 »
October 24, 2023
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 »
October 23, 2023
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 »
October 16, 2023
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 »
October 18, 2023
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 »
October 12, 2023
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 »
October 10, 2023
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 »
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 »