The number of laboratory confirmed whooping cough (pertussis) cases in South Africa has risen dramatically, with cases doubling in just a few weeks. In December the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported a total of 408 cases countrywide, with…
Written by Salim Abdool Karim, Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) About 38 million people around the world are living with HIV. About 70% of them live in Africa. This shows that there is no…
As the number of measles cases continues to rise, a national vaccine drive targeting the disease has started earlier in the five provinces battling the outbreak. The health ministry had initially planned to roll out the national vaccine campaign next…
In an interview with Health-e News, South African infectious disease expert Professor Salim Abdool Karim said current vaccines continue to offer protection against the COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.5, known as Kraken. Increasing vaccine coverage Karim said what was important was…
 Over one year since the Mtengwane and Swanepoel families called on South Africans to register to become stem cell donors, only one of the two families had their prayers answered. The other family is still clinging to hope. Bomikazi…
An additional Covid-19 vaccine booster will soon be available to immunocompromised South Africans. The health ministry plans to provide this extra booster at least six months after the last jab. “This next booster is a voluntary dose. It is…
 The National Department of Health has called for calm as pertussis (whooping cough) cases rise in South Africa. But the public is urged to ensure their children are vaccinated and seek medical attention if they suspect any symptoms. Over…
Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has announced that from early next year, all children aged between five and 11, living with conditions that place them at risk of severe COVID-19 disease, will be eligible for the jab. This comes as…
 The National Institute for Communicable Diseases(NICD) has confirmed measles cases in all nine provinces. However, only Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West are experiencing actual outbreaks. Health Minister Joe Phaala and his nine provincial health MECs will update the…
 With South Africa expected to begin piloting injectable Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) early next year, experts have described the proposed rollout as a potential ‘game changer’ in the fight against the virus. It is primed to provide an additional HIV…
 Inequalities obstruct the end of the Aids epidemic after a new UNAIDs report revealed that adults and children are being denied treatment. Over half of these kids are living on lifesaving medicines.  The report titled ‘Dangerous Inequalities’ reveals…
As we prepare to observe skin cancer awareness from 1 December to 31 January 2023, and head into hotter summer days, it is important to remember the role that sunscreen plays in skin cancer prevention. Naniki Seboni, from Soweto,…
South Africa celebrated World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) earlier this year when South Africa was coming to terms with the devastating news of children in the  Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal dying from severe acute malnutrition. Most shockingly, in January and February…
South Africa runs the risk of an added barrier to achieving its national goals if it continues to close its eyes to the increasing number of people who are avoidably blind. Cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors continue to be an…
In South Africa, reports of xenophobic incidents are a daily reality. Now migrants using the country’s strained public health system is a hot-button issue as impartial access to healthcare has recently become highly politicised. Operation Dudula’s anti-migrant protestors targeted the…