August 26, 2022
South Africa: Towards Women-Centred Climate Change Decision-Making and Budgeting #AfricaClimateCrisis
The devastating impacts of ongoing climate change are already being felt in South Africa, with some researchers describing the region as a climate change hotspot. President Cyril… Read more »
August 25, 2022
South Africa: The Latest On Long-Acting HIV Prevention and Treatment
Advances in long-acting formulations of antiretroviral medicines were one of the most exciting areas of HIV research showcased at the recent AIDS 2022 conference held in Montreal,… Read more »
August 24, 2022
South Africa: Women in Health - From Test Tubes to Impacting Lives - Dr Thesla Palanee-Phillips On Making a Difference With Science
"It's really, really rewarding to know that burning the candle at both ends - the hard days in the clinic, late nights, and taking calls - traveling throughout the African… Read more »
August 23, 2022
South Africa: What Is Behind the Western Cape's Low Prep Numbers?
It is estimated that in 2021, only around 0.3% of sexually active people in the Western Cape were taking antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV infection. When taken as… Read more »
August 22, 2022
South Africa: Women in Health - Mary Selona Is Changing 'The Way Things Are' - One Woman At a Time
Mary Selona is only half-joking when she says her favourite down-time activity as a strictly "indoorsy person" is catching up on sleep. The community activist who heads up the… Read more »
August 19, 2022
Africa: Abortion Rights in Three African Countries After a Major Setback in the US
The right to abortion has been catapulted into the spotlight by Dobbs v Jackson, the landmark judgment of the United States (US) Supreme Court that overturned Roe v Wade - a… Read more »
August 17, 2022
South Africa: Francesca Conradie - From HIV to Groundbreaking TB Research
Francesca Conradie knew she wanted to be a doctor when she was eight years old. Well, that, or a truck driver. Read more »
August 16, 2022
South Africa: Covid-19 - Benefits of Vaccines Still Far Outweigh Risks, Experts Say
The benefits of vaccines still far outweigh the risks, experts say following the recently reported death linked to a COVID-19 vaccine. Read more »
August 15, 2022
South Africa: Women in Health - How Daphney Conco Dreamed of Wearing a Graduation Gown and Did It
"If I were to ask you, where one can get an abortion, would you know? Would you be able to point a person to a facility that provides abortion from the top of your head?" asks Dr… Read more »
August 12, 2022
South Africa: The Health Sector Can Help Address the Impact of Violence Against Women, Here's How
At the start of Women's month this year, the gang rape of eight women at a mine dump in Krugersdorp made headlines in South Africa and abroad, adding to the country's… Read more »
August 11, 2022
South Africa: AIDS 2022 - What Does an Important STI Prevention Finding Mean for SA?
Taking a widely available antibiotic after condomless sex can reduce the risk of contracting three different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to a study presented… Read more »
August 10, 2022
South Africa: Women in Health - 'I Don't Like Seeing Anybody Treated Unfairly' - New Leader of HIV Clinicians Society
Describing her new job as CEO of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, Juliet Houghton quotes the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu saying - "There is only one way to eat an… Read more »
August 08, 2022
South Africa: In-Depth - What Are Fuelling Concerns Over Nurse Training in South Africa?
As previously reported by Spotlight, South Africa's nursing workforce is ageing and existing nurse shortages may well get worse rather than better in the coming years. Read more »
August 05, 2022
South Africa: Engaging Communities and Young People in the HIV Response
The AIDS2022 conference held recently in Montreal, Canada highlighted yet again the need for community activism and the importance of the involvement of young people. While these… Read more »
August 04, 2022
South Africa: Clinics Hit Hard By Water Shortages in Nelson Mandela Bay
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro in the Eastern Cape is in the grips of a severe drought after seven consecutive poor rainy seasons. Some of the metro's 48 clinics and three referral… Read more »
August 02, 2022
South Africa: 'It Took Me Three Seconds to Decide' - Fareed Abdullah Reflects On His Career in Public Health
Over the last three decades, Dr Fareed Abdullah has been at the coalface of South Africa's response to HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and more recently, COVID-19. In this time, he proved… Read more »
August 01, 2022
South Africa: Analysis - What Will a New Turnaround Plan Mean for Kimberley Hospital?
Over the years the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley - the Northern Cape's only tertiary hospital - has often made headlines for the wrong reasons. Read more »
July 29, 2022
South Africa: Experts Welcome New HIV Treatments for Children
In a move widely welcomed by local experts, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) recently approved new child-friendly formulations of several important… Read more »
July 28, 2022
South Africa: Poor Vaccine Coverage Risks Measles Outbreak, Experts Say
Some local experts fear that small measles outbreaks recently reported in Gauteng may be precursors to much larger outbreaks. This comes against the backdrop of recently released… Read more »
July 27, 2022
South Africa: SA Research Shedding Light On Role of Microclots in Long Covid
Professor Resia Pretorius sounds rushed when Spotlight first tracks her down by phone at Heathrow Airport outside London. She is about to board a plane to South Africa after… Read more »
July 26, 2022
South Africa: Spotlight On HIV - Six Graphs That Tell the Story
In 2021, HIV was successfully suppressed in the bodies of around 63% of the close to eight million people living with HIV in South Africa. This is according to the latest outputs… Read more »
July 25, 2022
South Africa: Analysis - Vaccine Partnership With U.S. Government Boosts Prospects for Local Production
It has been just over a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the selection of Afrigen Biologics, a Cape Town-based biotechnology company, to host its ambitious… Read more »
July 21, 2022
South Africa: Experts Weigh in On the Potential of Ultrasound for Diagnosing TB in Kids
Tuberculosis (TB) is hard to diagnose in children, especially very young ones. This is because it is difficult for children to cough up the sputum required to perform the gold… Read more »
July 20, 2022
South Africa: #WhatItsLike - Helping Cancer Patients Navigate the Public Healthcare System in Gauteng
Some phone calls turn to dread for Ouma Mamatela. It is when she calls cancer patients to tell them they've made it to the top of the treatment waiting list - but then no one picks… Read more »
July 19, 2022
South Africa: In-Depth - What to Do About SA's Chronic Surgical Delays
Based on figures from the national Department of Health a staggering number of over 107 000 non-emergency or elective surgeries were put on the back burner during the COVID-19… Read more »