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Baby saver devices under threat as social development cracks down
Pamela Madonsela June 5, 2025
Health Department warns of new tobacco threat as emerging products target teens
Yoliswa Sobuwa June 4, 2025
No Clinics, No Data, No Justice: How South Africa Is Failing Sex Workers
Health-e News June 2, 2025
HIV: 5 ways community-led and community-based services are delivering beyond HIV
Health-e News May 30, 2025
Another state mortuary closed in FS due to unsafe working conditions
Molefi Sompane May 29, 2025
Ex-eThekwini clinic employee accused of selling government-issued ARVs
Phumzile Mkhungo May 28, 2025
U.S funding cuts: Critical cervical cancer screening and research on the line
Yoliswa Sobuwa May 27, 2025
Baby saver devices under threat as social development cracks down
Pamela Madonsela June 5, 2025
Health Department warns of new tobacco threat as emerging products target teens
Yoliswa Sobuwa June 4, 2025
No Clinics, No Data, No Justice: How South Africa Is Failing Sex Workers
Health-e News June 2, 2025
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A recent study which included 25,000 learners across 52 high schools in South Africa found that one in six learners are vaping.
Workers say blocked pipes have been causing a stink in and around the mortuary and key machinery have been broken.
Following up on a tip-off from a source, Health-e News got in touch with the former government employee, posing as a potential ARV buyer.
Nxele started the fitness classes to give back to the community and promote a healthy lifestyle for everyone.
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Health-e News is a non-profit, online publication focused on pressing health issues in South Africa. We centre community voices through our network of nationwide citizen journalists.
[WATCH] It’s a proud moment for South Africa 🇿🇦: Prof Helen Rees reflects on receiving a lifetime global health award at the World Health Assembly but also how international funding cuts have been affecting HIV and TB care in SA. Find out more here: health-e.org.za/2025/06/09/south-african-expert-dr-lee-jong-wook-memorial-prize/ ![]()
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#HIV #tuberculosis #healthnews
A proud moment for South Africa! 🇿🇦![]()
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Professor Helen Rees (@Wits RHI), a long-time champion for public health, has just been honoured on the world stage at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. ![]()
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She received the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for her lifetime contribution to global health.![]()
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From starting her career in Alexandra clinics to founding the renowned Wits RHI research institute, Prof Rees has helped shape HIV, TB, and vaccine policy both in SA and globally.![]()
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But the celebration comes at a tough time, international funding cuts have been threatening HIV and TB programmes, and research initiatives like the rollout of injectable PrEP.![]()
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“We need smarter, more strategic donor support, not withdrawal,” she says.![]()
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Find out more here: health-e.org.za/2025/06/09/south-african-expert-dr-lee-jong-wook-memorial-prize/ ![]()
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#HIV #tuberculosis #healthnews
#ChildProtectionWeek: For years, baby savers, small boxes where desperate mothers can safely leave their babies, have offered a last hope for women with nowhere to turn.![]()
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But now the Department of Social Development in Gauteng wants them gone, calling them “illegal” and threatening to shut down NGOs that use them.![]()
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Organisations say this crackdown will only lead to more unsafe abandonments in rivers, drains, and dumping sites.![]()
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“Removing baby savers means removing a lifeline,” says Nadene Grabham from Baby Savers SA. “These babies don’t have time to wait for an overwhelmed system.”![]()
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“The Department of Social Development claims that section 150 of the Children’s Act is enough to protect these children. The section says that children in need of care should be referred to social services – but our social services are already overwhelmed and under-resourced"", says Grace Brain from Embrace, the Movement for Mothers. ![]()
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The matter is now before the courts, with activists arguing that the law doesn’t make room for safe relinquishment. ![]()
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Do you think Baby Saver boxes encourage women to abandon their babies like the department claims? Comment below.
Baby Saver Devices Under Threat As Social Development Cracks Down
health-e.org.za
Baby savers or boxes are specially designed structures – usually built into the outside wall of an organisation – that trigger an alarm once a baby has been placed inside, allowing for the infant ...
A recent study which included 25 000 learners across 52 schools found that one in six learners are vaping.![]()
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While they do not contain the same toxic chemicals as traditional cigarretes, e-cigarretes or vapes still contain nicotine and their use is increasingly linked to various health issues, including lung injuries.![]()
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A surge in their popularity has attracted many young people. But what exactly is drawing them to it. ![]()
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Find out more below from Dr Sharon Nyatsanza (National Council Against Smoking) and Prof Catherine Egbe (SA Medical Research Council).![]()
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#vaping #ecigarettes #smoking #healthnews
Young People Tell Us What Draws Them To Vaping
health-e.org.za
A recent study which included 25,000 learners across 52 high schools in South Africa found that one in six learners are vaping.
Opinion: The state has stood by as an entire layer of sex worker health services has collapsed under the weight of external funding cuts, offering no plan, no budgetary commitment, and no real accountability.![]()
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Tian Johnson (The African Alliance) says since the abrupt withdrawal of USAID and PEPFAR funding, the country’s HIV response for sex workers has been decimated. ![]()
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Thousands of sex workers on ART and PrEP are now adrift, many with no access to treatment or care. The national government has offered no emergency plan, no budget top-ups, no safeguarding of peer networks or community-led infrastructure.![]()
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Find out more below.![]()
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#healthnews #sexworkers #HIV #PrEP
No Clinics, No Data, No Justice: How South Africa Is Failing Sex Workers
health-e.org.za
On International Sex Workers Day, we confront a grim reality: escalating violence, collapsing health services, and a government that continues to criminalise and ignore sex workers' rig
![[WATCH] It’s a proud moment for South Africa🥳: Prof Helen Rees reflects on receiving a lifetime global health award at the World Health Assembly but also how international funding cuts have been affecting HIV and TB care in SA.
#HIV #Tuberculosis #healthnews](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=MzQzMDo3Ng==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAwMCA1NjAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjU2MCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4= "Health E News 46")
![Why would anyone buy ARVs when they’re available for free in government facilities?
A former government employee at La Lucia clinic in Durban and at least one accomplice are selling ARVs to members of the public.
Following up on a tip-off from a source, Health-e News got in touch with the former government employee, posing as a potential buyer. In a recorded phone call the man explains how the operation works.
“He [the accomplice still working at the clinic] said for a year it’s R2000 – that’s 12 containers. That’s how he takes them out. That means 6 would be R1000 — but I’ll have to ask him. And then he removes them from the container and puts them in a plastic bag so that you can also be protected and the next person won’t see that he’s giving you pills.”
But why would anyone buy ARVs when they’re available for free in government facilities?
Our source, who previously had medical aid and received antiretroviral treatment through it, was forced to cancel his membership after he could no longer afford the monthly premium.
Uncomfortable with the idea of visiting a public clinic – fearing he might be recognised by people in his community he began purchasing ARVs in the private sector but found the cost unsustainable.
When he heard from others in his community about a man selling ARVs at a lower price on the black market, he chose to buy from him.
Health-e News was unable to find others who have bought ARVs from the clinic’s former employee, so the scale of the issue remains unclear.
Link in bio to find out more. #ARVs #HIV #HealthNews #Durban #SouthAfrica](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=MzU5MjoxMTk=-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAwMCA1NjAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjU2MCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4= "Health E News 54")
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