Charles Shey Wiysonge, Stellenbosch University The BCG vaccine for TB has been used for 100 years. It is largely effective for children under five, but less so in older people and can’t be used on patients who have certain medical…
Lerato Mthunzi, Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) General Secretary October is mental health awareness month and as it draws to an end, a few key issues must be highlighted to make this month less of a ritualistic…
Mmamapudi Kubjane, University of the Witwatersrand and Leigh Johnson, University of Cape Town Around the world, men are more likely to get TB and to die from it than women. We recently conducted research to establish the various factors that…
Prof David Katerere, Tshwane University of Technology Research Chair in Pharmaceutical & Biotech Advancement in Africa (PBA2) Traditional medicine is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as healthcare which is embedded in traditions and people’s heritage. It ranges…
Jane Battersby, University of Cape Town and Gareth Haysom, University of Cape Town DISCLAIMER: This is an old piece from 2018, but which still holds relevance. Our News Editor Ina Skosana was previously at The Conversation Africa. Owners of small…
Glenda Gray, South African Medical Research Council South African-born Professor Hoosen “Jerry” Coovadia, renowned academic and prominent anti-apartheid activist, passed away on 4 October. As a paediatrician I was privileged to know and work with him over two decades. Prior…
Primrose Freestone, University of Leicester Every year, around 2.4 million people in the UK get food poisoning – mostly from viral or bacterial contamination. Most people recover within a few days without treatment, but not all are that lucky. As…
David Martin Shaw, University of Basel; Philip Lewis, University of Cologne, and Thomas C. Erren, University of Cologne We expect medical professionals to give us reliable information about ourselves and potential treatments so that we can make informed decisions about…
Mpho Matlakale Molete, University of the Witwatersrand, School of Oral Health Sciences & Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) Graduate. Oral health is a vital part of overall health and well-being, but it is often ignored or neglected.…
Yogan Pillay, Stellenbosch University and Madhukar Pai, McGill University For centuries, we have known that tuberculosis is a social disease. It thrives on poverty and social factors such as malnutrition, poor housing, overcrowding, unsafe work environments and stigma. Globally in…
Written by Dave Chambers for Jive Media Africa, research communications partner to GIFT A South African innovation designed to screen for inflammation associated with HIV infections and improve women’s sexual and reproductive health has been manufactured and has entered its…
Kathryn Steventon Roberts, University of Oxford and Janina Jochim, University of Oxford Imagine the weight of responsibility for caring for a child when you are not yet fully grown yourself, and the fear of being shamed by parents, fellow learners,…
Lerato Mthunzi, Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) General Secretary Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure long term child health and survival. But fewer than half of infants under 6 months old are exclusively…
Bill Gates Last month, I visited Nigeria for the first time in five years, and, everywhere I went, perhaps more than on any of my previous trips, I felt the immense energy and boundless potential of its rising generation. I…