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Health Professionals Statement on Migrants and Refugees

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‘No one cares’: GBV survivor waits five hours for emergency HIV medication at Soweto clinic

Grassroots Social Determinants of Health Reporting Project, funded by Tekano
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Sewage

Raw sewage in Limpopo village raises fears of disease and water contamination

Homeless

I need a blanket, but I also need to survive: Bloemfontein’s homeless brace for a freezing winter 

Plastic view

No housing for service workers in Hoedspruit, a tourist town 

Judas Tlou 100 year old resident

100-year-old resident uses grant money for water as Musina crisis deepens

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Food gardens offer a lifeline to some Orange Farm families

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Gogos in flood-damaged Tshakhuma use social grants to fix roads for ambulance access

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Orange Farm reflects a bigger problem of rising obesity among South African adolescents 

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Broken floors, pit toilets and no electricity risk EC learners’ health and safety

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Water shortages force Vhembe villagers to share drinking water with animals

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Mahikeng mother blames sewage-filled RDP house for infant’s death

bridge

Floods destroy community-built bridge in Soshanguve

Floods

Bad weather exposes broken promises in Cefane Hoek

burrow

Muyexe community demands answers after child drowns in construction pit

TB

Health teams rush to contain TB spread at Durban’s North Beach Homeless Camp

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No teaching at Botshabelo school for nine months due to water shortages 

NEWS

They are at war with us - LGBTQI violence victim

We are fighting a war – LGBTQI violence activist

Molefi Sompane

An LGBTQI sexual violence survivor and activist is fighting tooth and nail to raise awareness about the challenges they face in their communities. Sexual violence affects every demographic in South Africa. But according to Queen Beyonce Tovhowani Makondo, lesbian, gay and bisexual people face even higher rates. A life dedicated

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Pregnancy itself is a potential mental health stressor, even for older women. Generally, women are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges as their male counterparts. According to a research article published in 2022, although research on maternal mental health in Africa is sparse, some studies estimate the prevalence of postpartum depression in Africa to range between 15 to 25%.30,31. The prevalence of postpartum depression among adolescent mothers ranges from 14% to 53%. This is more than double that observed in older mothers (7–17%). The article also states that teenage mothers with untreated depression have a far greater likelihood of having a second pregnancy within two years. According to the South African Medical Journal, the number of births to young teenagers aged 10 - 14 years increased by 48.7% (from a baseline of 2 726, which is very high by developed-country standards) and the birth rate per 1 000 girls in this age category increased from 1.1 to 1.5. SAMJ analysed the data available in the public sector database, the District Health Information System, from 2017 to 2021. In adolescent girls aged 15 - 19, the number of births increased by 17.9% (from a baseline of 114 329) and the birth rate per 1 000 girls in this age category increased from 49.6 to 55.6. These increases also occurred year on year in a continuous upward trend as well as in all provinces, but at different rates. Generally, rates were higher in the more rural provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape than in more urban provinces such as Gauteng and Western Cape. Londeka and Patience are both mothers who fell pregnant whilst teens. They shared their mental health struggles as well as what being pregnant whilst still a teenager is like. Londeka Ngcongo, is a 17 year old mother of a 1 year 4 months old girl. She fell pregnant in August 2020 and I gave birth in May 2021. “I was nervous; I thought that I will be kicked out at home but I didn't think of having an abortion. I first told my boyfriend that I was pregnant. He was shocked but he gave me a lot of support and took care of me. I was 3 months pregnant at the time when he told his family. They gave me much support, love as well and they love the baby too. Our relationship is good”, she says. The teen mum who is from Inanda, Durban, lives with her mother’s family. “At home everything is bad, I’m being insulted, they are talking behind my back, gossiping. I feel like a prisoner. Everything that I do is not appreciated, I feel like I am useless and I am not a member of the family, I feel like an outcast, life is difficult”, she says. Ngcongo says that her father’s side of the family is a bit more supportive. “My father’s family is okay, they are supporting me they understand that I am a child and I also do mistake as other teenagers, I even wished if I could live with them but I can’t because they live in rural area northern KZN plus I am still studying I can’t just go and live in rural area”, she says. Ngcongo had to skip school last year because her baby was very sick. “We stayed at the hospital for 2 months, and even this year my baby is still in and out of the hospital, which is a difficult thing for me as a young mother”. She says that she is grateful that her boyfriend's family is still supporting them, which she is not experiencing from her family. “In my family, it seems as if they don’t even care about my suffering; they don’t ask me anything regarding myself and or the child’s wellbeing. Ngcongo says being in school, as a young mother is not easy. “Not because I have a child but because of the depression and trauma I have. My high school life has been difficult since Grade 9 because I had no support from home, even the school uniform that I had was not in a good condition. It became worse when they found out that I was pregnant, even my mother she didn’t support me not to mention my friends as well who also turned their backs on me which is the thing I didn’t expect honestly, but I told myself that life goes on I have to be strong for myself and for my child”, she says. During the week, Ngcongo’s child stays with her grandmother (her boyfriend's mother) because she is still at school but during the weekends, holidays and school holidays, she makes sure that she fetches her child. Though Ngcongo does receive a social grant, she says it is not enough for a child who is always sick because most of the time she needs to see a doctor or be sent to hospital. “Life is tough but I try by all means to take it one step at a time”, she says. Ngcongo gets her income from hair braiding, hair styling and manicures. “My dream one day is to have my own salon in town, because to tell you the truth I don’t see myself as a career woman but I see myself as a business woman one day”, she says. 21 year-old mother to twins, Patience Mentoor, also gets income through manicures. Mentoor, who lives in Delft, Cape Town fell pregnant in Grade 11 and felt like her life was over. “It wasn’t easy at all, but I love my children. Finding out that you are pregnant at 17 isn’t easy but now finding out that it was twins was even worse. The first thing that crossed my mind was my parents, I knew that they were going to be disappointed. I gave birth in June (matric year) and dropped out of school, so I don’t even have matric”, she says. Mentoor says that the pregnancy was not easy and she was depressed throughout it. “Getting through the day was hard. Both of our parents agreed that I should stay at home until the babies were born but the environment at home wasn’t nice, especially with my father. There was also a time when suicide crossed my mind because I felt like a burden and unworthy.”, she says. I was lucky that I fell pregnant towards the end of Grade 11 so I didn’t really have to face people’s comments and stares at school but I knew that when matric started I’d have to face it eventually because my bump was growing”, she says. Mentoor says that a social worker in the community encouraged her to join a support group for teen mothers, because she could see how it was affecting her mental health. “Aunty Lydia (social worker) was actually more supportive than my family, in terms of emotional support, so that did help in a way. She really guided me and told me that I need to speak about how I am feeling and not keep it inside. I am grateful to her because it really helped with the mental health struggles I was having and still have sometimes”, she says. Mentoor started doing people’s nails as a way to make income. “My boyfriend’s and his family do help financially but I just wanted to make sure that I am making money of my own, so I started with something simple. It’s not a lot but it’s a start. I really hope to study someday. I didn’t finish matric but I still hope that I can do something to secure my future.” she says. A 2020 study explores the intersection between mental health and sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. In South Africa, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are at risk of poor mental health, HIV infection and early pregnancy. Poor mental health in AGYW is associated with increased sexual risk behaviours, and impeded HIV testing and care. Using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, the study explored subjective experiences of mental health and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) amongst 237 AGYW aged 15–24 years in five South African districts. Respondents shared narratives of stress, emotional isolation, feelings of depression, and suicidal ideation, interconnected with HIV, pregnancy and violence in relationships. In the South African context, pregnancy may exacerbate existing social and contextual stressors, adding additional stressors such as interpersonal relationship challenges, regret around ‘unintended’ pregnancies, and depression. Respondents suggested that due to social stigma attached to teenage pregnancy, pregnant AGYW fear being judged and gossiped about: “Pregnant girls feel sad, some even contemplate suicide (azive efuna ukuzibulala) because of hearing unpleasant things about their life being spoken by other people”. (15–18 years, WC, isiXhosa) “Pregnant girls are teased, and then they drop out of school, they don't finish; here at school, we gossip about each other in the toilets.” (15–18 years, WC). The emotional ‘burden’ of teenage pregnancy was described as a key contributing factor to poor mental health: “They say having a child is a good thing, but as a teenager it is a burden, it’s difficult to cope” (15–18 years, EC). The study also revealed that a lack of emotional support from partners/fathers of children also contributed to stress and depression amongst young mothers. Lacking a supportive social environment negatively impacted on mental health and self-esteem. Suggestions from this study include addressing the burden of unplanned teenage pregnancy. Sex education needs to be incorporated into discussions at school, home, and health facilities. Further, safe, stigma-free access to contraceptives needs to be provided for adolescents. Authors from the study also suggest that the sociocultural stigma and taboo associated with discussions about sex at school and within the community needs to be mitigated to provide a safe environment for teens to engage. Community health workers, who are typically lay members of the community who work either for pay or as volunteers with the local health care system, can be trained to provide sex education community members (including teenagers and their families). “Teens are more comfortable learning from teens. Trained peer counsellors and support groups have been used to provide safe environment for adolescents to have healthy conversations on sexual and reproductive health”. There are several organisations throughout South Africa that provide support for teenage mothers and their families. A few include: Mamkhulu.org in Mpumalanga, Teen Moms Youth Development run by Options Care Centre in George, The Parent Centre in Wynberg, Cape Town, Lifeline Pregnancy Support and Girl Pride Africa . - Health-e News

Teen pregnancies: Heavy burdens for young shoulders

Health-e News

The number of teenage pregnancies is rising rapidly in South Africa and the mental burden is taking its toll as children as young as 10 are falling pregnant. According to the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ), the number of births among children aged 10 – 14 years increased by 48.7%

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KZN floods: Healthcare services take a battering

Climate crisis: Health must be front and centre at COP27

Health-e News

On the eve of the pivotal climate talks at COP27, the World Health Organisation issued a grim reminder the health impacts of the climate crisis must be at the core of these critical negotiations. The climate crisis increasingly makes people sick and jeopardises lives. The organisation said climate change is

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E-cigarettes just as harmful as tobacco - experts

E-cigarettes just as harmful as tobacco – experts

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho

South African experts have warned that electronic cigarettes (E-Cigarettes) are not 95% safer than the original cigarettes as propagated by the industry. They pose just as many health hazards to users and non-users and should be regulated. An electronic cigarette is a battery-operated device that emits doses of vapourised nicotine

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Did you know that medicine prices are regulated in South Africa?

Disclaimer: The medicine price registry was developed by OpenUp. Health-e News does not maintain the registry, so unfortunately, we are unable to respond to queries.

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Mental health: Don't despair, help is at hand

South Africa’s youth face a mental health crisis

A view of the hospital's entrance

R2 Billion Misappropriated at Tembisa Hospital: SIU Uncovers Extensive Corruption

HIV prevention

Twice-yearly HIV prevention shot priced at $40 — what it means for South Africa

OPINION

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Health Professionals Statement on Migrants and Refugees

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TB

The next frontier in South Africa’s TB response is health system reform

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innovations

Social innovation is the catalyst for improving SA healthcare

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FEATURES

Diabetes

The diabetes type that affects the poorest, but isn’t in any textbook

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The NPO would visit substance abuse hotspots around town every Friday to raise awareness

The tough pursuit of sobriety in Mahikeng, a town with no rehab centre 

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Violet and her daughter Elsie

Grandmother’s 110th birthday wish: crutches, hearing aids and dignity

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