More than 30,000 children develop tuberculosis (TB) each year in South Africa. For these children, cure comes in the form of six months of daily, bitter pills made for adults more than twice their size but new, better treatment may be on the way, according to research non-profit the TB Alliance.
South Africa may see an estimated 469,000 new HIV infections annually, and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 remain hardest hit by new infections, according to the country’s latest HIV survey. Now a young Khayelitsha artist is using the stage to take HIV prevention to the streets.
COMMENT: Amid a growing list of government blunders, the one good story to tell is the progress that the Zuma administration has made against AIDS - but the war has not yet been won.
It will take 180 years to eradicate TB at the current rate of improvement – a mere 1,5 percent a year – which is why a totally new approach is needed, according to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
Four South African research institutions are among the top 100 funders of tuberculosis (TB) research in the world according to a new report released today. If the country could triple TB research funding in the next three years, it could even outstrip richer countries.
No one knows how many South Africans are living with hepatitis C but the virus affects everyone from injecting drug users to suburban housewives. For decades, Hep C treatment was priced out of reach. Now, South Africa is importing new, better and cheaper drugs but a cure still comes at a cost.
A staggering 80 percent of people living with disabilities globally live in poverty, according to the National Department of Social Development.
Despite KwaZulu-Natal’s relatively good access to contraception, uptake of birth control methods remains a challenge. The province’s 12-page strategy aims to increase awareness and uptake of contraception services, especially among young women.
It was a hard, cold winter in the North West where hospitals reported everything from pillows to hot water was in short supply. The province’s financial crisis has left some patients out in the cold as moratoriums on everything from hospital maintenance to new appointments stretch the health system thin.
The latest UNAIDS report notes 15.8 million people were on antiretrovirals as of June and encourages more countries to heed the World Health’s Organisation’s call to roll out the “test and treat” approach.
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has received a R14 million pledge from Canadian non-profit organisation the Stephen Lewis Foundation that will save it from closing its doors, but will not save jobs already on the cutting board.
In an effort to combat medicine shortages, South Africa will roll out a first of its kind early warning system to identify drug stock outs before they happen. See what else the country is doing to keep pills in patients’ hands.
In an effort to combat medicine shortages, South Africa will roll out a first of its kind early warning system to identify drug stock outs before they happen. The move comes as country and makers of the antiretroviral Aluvia work to address shortages
Holiday lights and decorations are already popping up across South Africa. As children anticipate gifts and a holiday from school, families and friends will gather for meals together to toast the season. Tragically, the cooking of food is actually a gateway to a leading cause of child death, writes Keith Klugman.
Nomadlozi Mazibuko claims she was injured on the job. More than a month later, she claims her Johannesburg firm is withholding the paperwork she needs for treatment.
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