The continental body has thrown its weight behind calls to improve access to Covid-19 vaccines
The first batch of vaccines is almost here, but a top government adviser says achieving herd immunity by the end of the year is ‘unrealistic’
The pandemic has helped to expose the dire state of Sudan’s healthcare system, which lacks both equipment and medical personnel
After missing the global HIV/Aids targets, new benchmarks that put people at the centre, especially those most at risk, need to be set
There are signs that the continent’s population is relaxing risk-reducing measures (masks, physical distancing, washing hands), which could push 40-million people into extreme poverty
A changing climate threatens to undermine the past 50 years of gains in public health
COMMENT: The US’s global gag rule blocks funding to any foreign NGOS that perform abortions, except in very limited cases. The Biden-Harris administration must rescind it
Yvette Raphael describes herself as a ‘professional protester, sjambok feminist and hater of trash’. Government officials would likely refer to her as ‘a rebel’. She’s fought for equality her entire life, she says. And she’s scared of no one
In Uganda 16 women in labour die each day. One woman, backed by a civil society organisation, took the state to court
New research from seven countries in Africa signals the future of HIV prevention — but what can it learn from its past?
As the president extends the state of disaster for another month, other restrictions will be eased, including those on alcohol sales and international travel
In the absence of action from the health department, South Africa’s community health workers are once again having to fight for their rights, with a nationwide strike planned from 9 November.
Researchers have found that, because ambient fine particulate air pollution aggravates comorbidities, it could play a factor in coronavirus fatalities
Development has been set back by two decades, says the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers report
Almost 70% of the world’s maternal deaths happen in Africa. Now there’s coronavirus — and with poor prenatal and postnatal care on the continent, expectant mothers and children under five are even more vulnerable.
Loneliness can seem like a hopeless hole that increases anxiety, depression, fears or thoughts of suicide
The state is facing a court battle about big industry’s emissions and their link to poor health. This is a public health concern and the government must take action to save lives
The country has experienced violent incidents of unrest in recent weeks
South Africa’s lockdown is not an ‘elimination lockdown’, nor a ‘flatten the curve lockdown’. Instead, our ‘delay lockdown’ has its own set of implications
If the government relaxes its total ban, there’s more chance of people modifying their behaviour, for example, not sharing cigarettes or drinking from the same bottle
Our global health is only as strong as our most vulnerable community. The coronavirus pandemic can be defeated — but only if we leave no one behind
Authoritarian leaders have often used natural disasters to tighten their grasp on power. We are seeing the same happen during the coronavirus crisis, in dictatorships and democracies alike
We need to work together regardless of our political ideologies to build the health system, stabilise the economy and protect the most vulnerable in society
South Africa is working towards establishing a publicly-funded universal health service and now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, is the time to implement it
The Covid-19 pandemic is throwing the poor governance of some African countries into sharp relief
How we respond will determine how well we, and other people around us, survive the current crisis
The latest on the spread of covid-19, how it is affecting the world, and what efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the virus
Boundaries at all levels limit the exchange of ideas necessary to resolve complex global problems
Mandela University’s medical degree will contain some of the best elements from the Cuban model
Those who have been violated are called on to solve the problem of gender-based violence
Contemptuous municipal attitudes have compromised public sanitation in Durban forcing people into undignified, unhealthy and dangerous situations.
Public health officials and journalists are like two peas in a pot — they need each other.