Have you ever wondered how the light around us affects our sleep? It turns out, the kind of light we’re exposed to can make a big difference in the quality of our sleep. The simple act of flipping a light…
Less than 100 deceased organ donations take place in South Africa every year, while around 5000 patients are on the waiting list for an organ. This is according to the South African Transplantation Society and the South African Transplant Coordinators…
Tuberculosis (TB) experts in South Africa are concerned about the slow uptake of TB preventive treatment (TPT). The people most at risk of TB disease aren’t receiving the protection they need. Dr Norbert Ndjeka, Chief Director of TB Control and…
The City of Johannesburg announced on Wednesday methane gas caused the explosion that took place on Bree street (now called Lillian Ngoyi street) in the inner city. The explosion made international headlines in mid-July with footage of the explosion going…
Karabo Rafube (41), a former inmate who contracted tuberculosis (TB) in prison says it’s concerning that the fight against the infectious disease continues to be neglected within South African prisons. He was speaking after the recent launch of a new…
Agnes Erzse, University of the Witwatersrand and Aviva Tugendhaft, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa has persistently high rates of hunger and malnutrition among mothers and children. More than a quarter – 27% – of children under five are stunted…
The UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2023 report, released last Thursday, shows that despite the absence of an HIV/AIDS vaccine, the world is on the right path to eradicate HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Data shows that 29,8…
If couples test for HIV together, will it improve uptake of health services? A couples-focused intervention aimed at promoting couples’ HIV testing and counselling has found that it will. Igugu Lethu, a joint study between the Human Sciences Research Council…
South Africa’s progress on reducing preterm births has stagnated over the past decade. In 2020, 1.2 million babies were born in South Africa. Thirteen percent (154 800) were preterm or born too soon. South Africa is among the top five…
By Edina Amponsah-Dacosta, University of Cape Town and Julie Copelyn, University of Cape Town South Africa has experienced outbreaks of cholera since January. The worst was in May in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, where nearly 30 people died. Cholera is…
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) says that flu transmission is currently at a moderate level and that circulation is declining. Based on historical data over a number of years, the NICD has seasonal thresholds which show the number…
South Africa’s cholera outbreak, with cases reported in five provinces, has claimed 26 lives. On World Food Safety Day, a food safety expert says ensuring proper food safety and hygiene protocols is the most effective way to prevent the further…
South Africa now faces its fourth outbreak of mainly childhood diseases since last year. This follows the confirmation of a diphtheria outbreak by the National Department of Health last week after cases were recorded in Kwazulu-Natal and in the Western…
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