Taking stock of the country's performance in addressing AIDS, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, noted that over about 20 million South Africans have tested for HIV in the last two years and that HIV transmission from mother to child has dropped to below 3%. But Motsoaledi cautioned that much still needs to be done.
Sandile Mkhabela (66) ' Westonaria Pensioner
People who smoke while drinking alcohol may be at greater risk of suffering a hangover the next morning, according to a study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
A US judge has ordered tobacco companies to run advertising campaigns admitting that they lied to the public about the dangers of smoking, and acknowledge that cigarettes kill about 1 200 American smokers a day.
Teenagers are less likely to buy cigarettes if they are not displayed in plain sight behind shop counters, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
The country has made substantial progress in the fight against HIV, but there are still many holes in the system - particularly around TB treatment.
If undiagnosed and untreated for a long time, HIV infection can trigger off a dormant virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV), which can lead to blindness. Cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of blindness in people who have HIV.
This past week the national Health Department announced that as from April 2013, AIDS patients will start taking one antiretroviral pill a day that combines the compounds of all three ARVs they need for effective treatment. This has been lauded as making AIDS treatment simple and convenient.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence clubs, already operating in several high burden areas in Cape Town, have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of millions of HIV-positive South Africans and lighten the load on overburdened health workers.
Smoking harms the brain by damaging learning, memory and reasoning, a new study published in the journal Age and Ageing says.
A tiny trickle of sweat dribbles across her forehead, her braids bouncing and glistening in the early morning sun, her gaze fixed, the earphones firmly in her ears. It's hard not to notice Vuyiseka Dubula as she strides along the Sea Point promenade in her bright orange bib, 'HIV Positive' proclaimed in huge, fat black letters across her chest.
The life expectancy of South Africans has increased by six percent since 2009, but recent health gains could be lost if the management of services is not improved.
Government took a major step towards improving HIV treatment compliance and cost with the announcement that the new antiretroviral (ARV) tender will include a triple fixed dose combination (FDC) tablet, which combines three pills into one.
PRESS RELEASE: HIVSA in partnership with the Provincial Department of Health, Gauteng, will be sending out two million health related mobile phone messages to the general public, in support of this year's WAD initiative.
A number of organisations have expressed deep concern over the crisis in the Eastern Cape where patients are running out of lifesaving medication.
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