June 07, 2023
Africa: Covid Has Highlighted the Connection Between Spirituality and Vaccine Scepticism
In the two and a half years since the first COVID vaccines were administered, anti-vaccination sentiment has grown exponentially. Scepticism about vaccines has been voiced, in… Read more »
South Africa: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome - Facial Modelling Study Explores Technology to Aid Diagnosis
Foetal alcohol syndrome is a lifelong condition caused by exposing an unborn baby to alcohol. It's a pattern of mental, physical and behavioural symptoms seen in some people whose… Read more »
June 05, 2023
Nigeria: Hepatitis B Is a Life-Threatening Liver Infection - Our Machine Learning Tool Could Help With Early Detection
More than 296 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B, a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Most don't know they are… Read more »
May 29, 2023
Africa: 'It's Actually a Human Person, Undergoing Real Emotions' - How Podcasts Can Impact Attitudes Around Mental Health
Millions of people listen to podcasts each year. Podcast content is diverse, with popular genres including true crime, comedy, and society and culture. Read more »
June 04, 2023
Africa: Removing Antimicrobial Resistance From WHO's 'Pandemic Treaty' Will Leave Humanity Vulnerable to Future Pandemics
In late May, the latest version of the draft Pandemic Instrument, also referred to as the "pandemic treaty," was shared with Member States at the World Health Assembly. The text… Read more »
May 31, 2023
Africa: The First Line of Vaccines Was Highly Effective At Restricting Covid-19's Damage
After more than three years of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 763 million infections, and nearly seven million deaths, have been attributed to… Read more »
May 26, 2023
Africa: Exercise Linked to Higher Pain Tolerance - New Study
Many benefits come from regularly exercising, including stronger muscles, lower risk of disease and improved mental health. But a recent study suggests that exercise may have… Read more »
May 12, 2023
Africa: How to Navigate Difficult Conversations With Your Teenager
Important conversations with teenagers are among the biggest challenges of parenting. They can feel like walking a tightrope. Lean too much - or too little - into commands and… Read more »
May 29, 2023
South Africa: Drink Up, It's Closing Time - South African Study Calculates That Limiting Opening Hours Will Save Lives
South Africans are among the heaviest drinkers in the world. The country has the highest per capita rate of alcohol consumption in Africa. Excessive drinking is especially… Read more »
May 25, 2023
Africa: Doctor Dog - How Our Canine Companions Can Help Us Detect Covid and Other Diseases
While we humans generally experience the world through sight, dogs use scent to learn about the environment around them. What their nose knows is crucial for finding food, mates… Read more »
May 24, 2023
Africa: Africa's Scientists Need to Use Wastewater to Find Drug-Resistant Bacteria
People often think of wastewater as serving no purpose. But it can be a valuable source of information. Wastewater is increasingly recognised as a significant environmental… Read more »
May 23, 2023
Africa: Building a Nutrition Programme? Understanding How People Behave Is Key
Undernutrition contributes to up to 45% of child deaths in African countries. At the same time, child obesity rates have doubled between 2006 and 2016. More than 40% of women of… Read more »
South Africa: Cholera - a Symptom of Two Decades of Continued Sewage Pollution and Neglect
South Africans have expressed outrage at the deaths of at least 15 residents of Hammanskraal, in the city of Tshwane. The deaths were caused by cholera - a diarrhoeal disease… Read more »
May 17, 2023
Africa: Pivotal Points in the Covid-19 Pandemic - 5 Essential Reads
Experts have made it clear that the end of the COVID-19 national emergency, which was lifted on May 11, 2023, does not mean an end to the pandemic. But this shift signals a… Read more »
May 16, 2023
Africa: Architecture After Covid - How the Pandemic Inspired Building Designers
Walking during lockdowns, following protocols and restrictions, city dwellers witnessed the birth of a new architectural aesthetic. Read more »
Africa: How Does Food Get Contaminated? The Unsafe Habits That Kill More Than 400,000 People a Year
Unsafe foods, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), contribute to poor health, including impaired growth and development, micro-nutrient deficiencies, noncommunicable… Read more »
May 15, 2023
Rwanda: Thriving in the Face of Adversity - Resilient Gorillas Reveal Clues About Overcoming Childhood Misfortune
In 1974, an infant mountain gorilla was born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Researchers named him Titus. As is typical for young gorillas in the wild, Titus spent the first… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Starvation Cult Left Hundreds Dead - a Psychologist's View On How to Support People As They Process Tragedy
In early April 2023, Kenyan police discovered a mass grave linked to a Pentecostal church in the coastal town of Malindi. By the end of the month, at least 110 bodies had been dug… Read more »
May 11, 2023
Africa: Our Research Shows Home Working Didn't Harm Mental Health At the Start of the Pandemic - but Things Changed Later On
One of the key changes to our daily lives brought about by the COVID pandemic was, for those able to do so, working from home. According to UK data, almost 60% of people were… Read more »
Africa: African Scientists Are Working to Pool Data That Decodes Diseases - a Giant Step
Infectious disease outbreaks in African countries are, unfortunately, all too common. Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda; Marburg virus in Guinea or Equatorial… Read more »
May 09, 2023
Africa: RSV - We Finally Have a Vaccine for This Deadly Virus
The first vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine, named Arexvy, will be given to people 60 years… Read more »
Africa: Many People Are Tired of Grappling With Long Covid - Here Are Some Evidence-Based Ways to Counter It
A patient of mine, once a marathon runner, now gets tired just walking around the block. She developed COVID-19 during the 2020 Christmas holiday and saw me during the summer of… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Nigeria: Remote Teaching in Nigeria and South Africa Got a Covid Wake-Up Call - How to Capitalise On It
Universities had to deal with many anxieties and uncertainties during the early days of the COVID pandemic. One of these was how to move all of their teaching online. For some, the… Read more »
May 07, 2023
South Africa: Mental Health - Almost Half of Johannesburg Students in New Study Screened Positive for Probable Depression
Depression is a mental health disorder characterised by a persistently low mood or loss of interest in activities. It causes significant impairment in daily life. Possible causes… Read more »
May 03, 2023
Africa: Thousands of Unknown Viruses Discovered in Baby Poo - Why This Is Not Necessarily a Bad Thing
An international team of scientists who spent five years studying the poo of 647 Danish babies found something astonishing. The nappy samples contained 10,000 species of virus -… Read more »