Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Bhekisisa Centre for Health JournalismIn the news
PUBLIC HEALTH

What HIV got right — but obesity still hasn’t

As the 26th International Aids Conference convenes, this article draws parallels between the HIV response and the emerging obesity crisis in South Africa. It highlights how…

  • Francois Venter
  • Simiso Sokhela
  • Nzama Mbalati
  • Yvette Raphael
10 min read
PUBLIC HEALTH

When sewage floods your home, it floods your mind too

In Nairobi's Mukuru kwa Reuben, residents face a grim reality: homes repeatedly flooded by sewage due to dysfunctional drainage. This article explores the profound psychological…

  • Sean Christie
14 min read
Costly legal weight-loss drugs are fuelling a black market in unregistered versions, including retatrutide — an experimental medicine still in trials. (Anna-Maria van Niekerk)
PUBLIC HEALTH
Video

Health Beat #39 | Inside SA's illegal weight-loss drug trade

South Africa faces a surge in illegal weight-loss drugs, as expensive GLP-1 medicines drive a black market for cheaper, untested versions. This trend raises serious health…

  • Anna-Maria van Niekerk
  • Mia Malan
  • Jessica Pitchford
  • Justin Barlow
  • Albert Tibane
  • Jeannine Snyman
2 min read
The electronic cigarette industry arrived in the country with lots of hype and no regulation more than a decade ago. Today, the vape industry is thriving, with no guardrails in place and a growing teenage addiction problem. Photo: Olena Bohovyk/Pexels
VAPING

The nicotine Wild West: How SA birthed the next generation of nicotine addicts

More than a decade after electronic cigarettes arrived in South Africa with no regulation, the vape industry continues to thrive unchecked, leading to a growing teenage addiction…

  • Tanya Pampalone
9 min read