April 12, 2023
Africa: After UN Report, New Focus On Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment
A recent United Nations report, titled 'Bracing for Superbugs: Strengthening environmental action in the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance', has put the Spotlight on… Read more »
February 20, 2023
South Africa: Some Improvement but Much More Needed to Address Health Needs of Key Populations
Bonang Moleleki, who represents Bong Jwa Tlhago Trans, a North West-based non-governmental organisation that works on transgender issues, tells Spotlight in her experience the… Read more »
March 30, 2023
South Africa: Ongoing Security Concerns At Gauteng Hospitals Amid Reports of Cable Theft
Already bogged down by loadshedding, operations at various health facilities in Gauteng and some other provinces have also been disrupted due to cable theft, creating another layer… Read more »
March 29, 2023
South Africa: New Free State Health MEC Wants to Restore Hope in the Province's Healthcare Services
Her aim is to restore hope in healthcare services for the people of Free State, the province's new Health MEC Mathabo Leeto said shortly after being sworn in as MEC on 14 March. Read more »
March 28, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - Mostly Positive Responses to SA's New HIV, TB and STI Plan
South Africa's National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs (2023 - 2028) was launched on Friday at Tlhabane Stadium in Rustenburg, North West as the world commemorated World TB… Read more »
March 27, 2023
South Africa: We Need More Dedicated Investment to Address TB in Children
The theme of last year's World Tuberculosis (TB) Day was 'Invest to end TB' - an apt theme acknowledging the critical shortfall in funding for TB if we are to meet the 2035 goal of… Read more »
March 24, 2023
South Africa: Face to Face - Prof Muki Shey On His Journey From Cameroon to Doing Cutting-Edge TB Research
It was his own background including childhood sickness that inflamed Professor Muki Shey's passion for finding health solutions in resource-constrained settings. Read more »
March 23, 2023
South Africa: Making Good On the Promise of SA's TB Recovery Plan
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death in South Africa. In 2021, TB accounted for 56 000 deaths and 304 000 people got sick with TB in the country. This is part of an… Read more »
March 15, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - the State of SA's HPV Vaccination Programme in 2023
"I was overwhelmed and in complete shock. I never expected what was pretty much a cancer scare in my twenties," says Johannesburg-based Rachel, who was 28 years old when she… Read more »
March 17, 2023
South Africa: Urgent Course Correction Needed On NHI, Climate Change, and Economic Policy #AfricaClimateCrisis
Kedibone Mmupele (27), her two children Onkarabile (2) and Nkune (6), and her younger siblings Mapule (7) and Sebengu (9) had not had a decent meal in weeks, media reports at the… Read more »
March 23, 2023
South Africa: Yes! We Can End TB in South Africa
Tuberculosis (TB), an ancient but curable disease, kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. Despite decades of global efforts to fight TB, more than 1.6… Read more »
March 20, 2023
South Africa: New Guidelines Are a Step Forward for SA's TB Response
In February 2021, findings from South Africa's first national tuberculosis (TB) prevalence survey confirmed what many suspected - every year, tens of thousands of people sick with… Read more »
March 06, 2023
South Africa: Should SA's Public Hospitals Go Solar?
For businesses and households that can afford it, solar panels and batteries offer a way to keep the lights on during South Africa's ongoing bouts of loadshedding. Such… Read more »
March 03, 2023
South Africa: Underinvestment in Healthcare Infrastructure Will Cost Us in the Long Run
Investment in public health facilities is crucial as the country weathers storms on various fronts - from drought (water shortages) and flooding putting strain on health… Read more »
March 02, 2023
South Africa: Billions Allocated for Infrastructure Require More Progressive Procurement Systems and Oversight
Delivering his budget speech on 22 February, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana focused on the major infrastructure - electricity, water, and municipal projects. This heavy focus… Read more »
February 23, 2023
South Africa: Opinion - Budget 2023 - Opportunity Missed to Refocus Public Health Spending?
The right to access healthcare services is guaranteed to everyone under Section 27 of the South African Constitution. On a population health level, South Africa has made good… Read more »
February 22, 2023
Africa: Take As Needed - Preventing HIV Might One Day Be As Easy As Using This Suppository
A small study conducted among 23 HIV-negative men and women in the United States has found that a quick-dissolving rectal suppository - no bigger than a fingernail - that contains… Read more »
South Africa: Vaginal Ring to Prevent HIV Safe to Use in Late Pregnancy and While Breastfeeding
Women can safely use a monthly, antiretroviral-containing vaginal ring to prevent HIV infection during late pregnancy and while breastfeeding with no risk to their babies, new… Read more »
February 21, 2023
South Africa: Disproportionate Number of Children in SA Have Severe Asthma, Experts Say
Despite being one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally and there being highly effective treatments for it, asthma is often not well controlled in many low-resource… Read more »
January 30, 2023
Africa: HIV Vaccine Research Set to Change Focus in Wake of Mosaico Disappointment
Hopes for the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Mosaico vaccine - the only HIV vaccine candidate in late-stage (Phase 3) clinical trials - were dashed with manufacturer Janssen… Read more »
January 25, 2023
South Africa: This Is Why Mpumalanga Is Repurposing Some TB Hospitals
The Mpumalanga Health Department plans to repurpose three of its five tuberculosis (TB) hospitals due to dwindling numbers of in-patients at these hospitals. Read more »
January 23, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - As Schools Open, Will Measles Outbreaks Get Worse?
In October last year, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) alerted the public to a measles outbreak in Limpopo. Since then, four more provinces have reported… Read more »
January 27, 2023
South Africa: Changing the Law On Sex Work Will Save Lives, We Must See It Through
In December 2022, the Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola, set into motion a public participation process on the laws that govern sex work in South Africa. Cabinet approved the… Read more »
January 18, 2023
South Africa: Health in 2023 - 13 Things to Look Out For
Set against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 recovery, the National Health Insurance Bill winding its way through Parliament, healthcare worker shortages, and the ongoing… Read more »
December 20, 2022
South Africa: 2022's Health Budget Decisions in Review
Health budgets have the power to advance access to healthcare for millions of people in South Africa. This year, however, as the health sector and the economy recovered from the… Read more »