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noncommunicable diseaseslatest news & developments
Health economics research estimates that obesity cost South Africa approximately R33.2 billion in 2020, equivalent to about 15% of government health expenditure and roughly 0.67% of GDP. (Yunmai/Unsplash)
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Obesity: the chronic disease that isn’t treated like one

A review of 37 studies found that when people stop taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, the weight comes back

The backstreets of Koudougou after rain. Photo: Sean Christie

Heavy weather and the mind of the West African farmer

A growing body of evidence suggests that unpredictable weather linked to climate change has the potential to injure people’s minds, leading to an increase in the development of…

We talked to experts about their take on a few of the most pressing public health issues this year. (Jay Caboz)

Here’s what’s on South Africa’s 2026 public health agenda

We talked to experts in obesity, tobacco, artificial intelligence, HIV, TB and the NHI to find out what we can expect — and what we can’t — this year

The impact of the Trump administration’s slashing of over half of South Africa’s HIV and TB projects funded by the US government, transcends reduced access to HIV testing and HIV prevention and treatment drugs. Treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure, cervical cancer, depression and anxiety will become harder to come by too. (Flickr)

Trump’s HIV funding cuts will also hit diabetes, cervical cancer and depression hard

As government clinics take on HIV patients who were previously treated by Pepfar-funded projects, the treatment of conditions like diabetes and heart disease will come under…

HIV prevention services have been heavily affected by the pause on the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids in the country, with remote mobile clinics that served hard-to-reach people now closed. (File photo)
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The proportion of people 50+ with HIV has doubled in 10 years

Today, people over 50 make up the second largest group of South Africa’s HIV-positive population — 20 years ago, they were the smallest proportion

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says medical aids cost too much. Will tax alone be enough to pay for NHI? We look at the numbers. (GCIS)

Is tax alone enough to pay for the National Health Insurance?

The NHI Act says funding healthcare for all should come from tax but economic growth is in a vice and many people are without jobs

What’s the secret of Kigali’s car-free day longevity? Photo: Global NCD Alliance Forum

A breath of fresh air: How Kigali’s car-free Sundays keep people moving

The city’s car-free day is going into its ninth year, far outlasting most initiatives like it around the world, including in South Africa

Children who are too short for their age are likely to reach less than half of their full potential, if they are lucky.

Addressing the double burden of malnutrition in South Africa during Mandela Month

Interventions such as immediate food relief and raising awareness are needed to address undernutrition and obesity

S20 warns that climate change is endangering human health, food systems and ecosystems worldwide

The time is ripe for Africa’s food policy to change

Food systems lack resilience in the face of crisis and that feed crises of their own making, driving climate change and fuelling epidemics of hunger, malnutrition, obesity and…

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – OCTOBER 26: Animal Rebellion protestors unveil a banner at the Home Office building after they have scaled DEFRA on Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021, in central London, demanding government support for a plant-based food system ahead of COP26 which is to be held in six days. The protestors have said that they will take action until the government defunds meat and subsidises a plant-based transition. (Photo by Vudi Xhymshiti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Health professionals call for new systems to reduce food insecurity

Health professionals have called on leaders at COP26 to prioritise changing food systems to reduce their effect on the climate, as well as to prevent deaths

Up to one in five people can get long COVID — a condition in which someone keeps on feeling ill for months after their initial symptoms have cleared up. (Paul Botes)

‘Jobs vs health’: What will shape public-health policies after Covid-19?

Comorbidities, particularly noncommunicable diseases have been put into the spotlight during the Covid-19 pandemic. How we approach preventing NCDs in the future will depend on…