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Mail & Guardian

National Institute For Communicable Diseases

latest news & developments
The refusal to allow the cruise ship to dock in Cape Verde is an expression of the post-Covid-19 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from which the world suffers. Photo: Cruisemapper
ANDES STRAIN

Hantavirus strain confirmed

The outbreak has entered a more serious phase after authorities confirmed that two cases detected in SA involve the Andes variant

  • Hasina Kathrada
7 min read
South Africa has been drawn into a multi-country public health response after a cluster of illnesses and three deaths linked to an international cruise ship, with one passenger dying locally and another in critical condition in a Sandton hospital, the department of health confirmed.
ASCENSION ISLAND

Passenger dies in SA as rare virus linked to international cruise ship outbreak

Health officials are monitoring possible exposures in Gauteng after passengers linked to a deadly cruise ship outbreak passed through South Africa, with one patient in critical…

  • Hasina Kathrada
2 min read
The health department says the country still has has enough vaccines based on the number of active cases. (Photo by: NIH-NIAID/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
AFRICA CDC

Government says mpox is under control but cites Covid-19 pandemic in urging caution

President Cyril Ramaphosa said it was about the rapid spread of the disease across the continent, which reflected a ‘concerning shift in the epidemiological pattern’

  • Umamah Bakharia
4 min read
Mpox has been declared a public health emergency by the ACDC. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
AFRICA CDC

South Africa’s health department urges vigilance as mpox is declared a continental public health emergency

The African Centres for Disease Control said so far in 2024, 13 countries had confirmed 2 863 cases and 517 deaths from the viral disease

  • Umamah Bakharia
4 min read
A sign announcing monkeypox informations is setup in International Airport Treviso A. Canova, in Treviso, Italy, on November 30, 2022. (Photo by Manuel Romano/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
CDC

Mpox outbreak: Five cases confirmed, one death reported in South Africa

The health department said it is investigating the local transmission of the disease after the infected patients were found to have no travel history

  • Umamah Bakharia
2 min read
The Jukskei River flows through the City of Johannesburg, including areas that are poorly serviced. Photos: Odd Andersen/Getty Images & Bafana Mahlangu/Gallo Images
CHOLERA

Cholera: Sewage infrastructure failure worsens disease spread

Three cases in Gauteng were imported or import-related from Malawi but the increasing number of locally acquired cases is raising concerns

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Powerful duo: Anne von Gottberg and Cheryl Cohen are two of South Africa’s foremost scientists. But they’re also a family and married in 2007. (Delwyn Verasamy, Bhekisisa)
ANNE VON GOTTBERG

A mezuzah, a Christmas wreath and rooibos with milk: getting to know this NICD couple at home

Anne von Gottberg and Cheryl Cohen are two of SA’s foremost scientists on Covid-19. The powerful duo also love family time with their three kids

  • Sean Christie
11 min read
South Africa has recorded its fifth case of monkeypox. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
HEALTH MINISTER

Fifth case of monkeypox confirmed in South Africa

The rising number of cases has become a cause for concern, says health minister

  • Bongeka Gumede
3 min read
A medical laboratory technician picks up from a fridge a reactive to test suspected monkeypox samples at the microbiology laboratory of La Paz Hospital on June 06, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. Europe is at the centre of the monkeypox virus outbreak, the World Health Organisation reported 780 confirmed cases with Britain, Spain and Portugal reporting the largest numbers of patients. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
COVID 19

First case of monkeypox confirmed in South Africa

Disease detected in a 30 year old male who had no history of travel, contact tracing underway to identify any additional linked cases

  • Bongeka Gumede
3 min read
A health worker conducts a coronavirus rapid antigen test at a Testaro Covid-19 testing site in the Goodwood district of Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. South Africa announced the discovery of a new variant, later christened omicron, on Nov. 25 as cases began to spike and the strain spread across the globe. (Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Meet the scientists tracking Covid-19’s crappy future

Water in the country’s drains can pick up a spike in Covid-19 cases or a threatening new variant in time for clinics to prepare for an influx of patients

  • Zano Kunene
10 min read
AFRICA HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Video

How your body can protect you from getting sick with Omicron

Omicron’s many mutations allow it to duck our body’s natural defence, but the immune system has a some tricks to prevent you from getting severely ill

  • Aisha Abdool Karim
17 min read
Citizens receive Covid-19 vaccine at the Gautrain Sandton Station pop-up vaccination site on September 10, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to reports Gauteng health department has instituted Covid-19 pop-up vaccination sites to meet the demand and to reach as many people as possible. (Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Covid-19 vaccines still protect against severe illness from the Omicron variant

The vast majority of hospital admissions in Gauteng are of unvaccinated people, data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases shows

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
The US and South African medicines regulators have faced legal challenges regarding information used to review and approve Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. (Guillem Sartorio/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
B 1 1 529 VARIANT

New Covid-19 variant is a concern as cases show a sharp increase in Gauteng

Some 22 positive cases of the B.1.1.529 variant have been confirmed in South Africa, as Covid-19 cases increase in Gauteng, the North West and Limpopo

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
Teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 will be able to register to receive their Covid-19 jab from 20 October. (Photo by Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images via Getty Images)..
ADOLESCENTS

SA teens, you’re next in the queue for a vaccine — no parental permission required

Teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 will be able to register to receive their Covid-19 jab from 20 October. This group will be given only one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, for…

  • Bhekisisa Team
13 min read
Flight searches for solo travel during Christmas and New Year saw a 172% jump compared to the 2019 festive period, with Asia being the top destination of choice for South Africans. (Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLAYSON MONYELA

Tourism industry hopeful of UK red list review

Meeting between scientists of both countries may pave way for removal from red list

  • Marcia Zali
5 min read