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Mail & Guardian
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South Africa needs to bolster its biosecurity to control the spread of disease in livestock and poultry.

Biosecurity is vital for SA’s successful agricultural growth and export strategy

Frequent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza and African swine fever suggest weakness in biosecurity controls and the effect of climate change

Lessons learned: During the Covid-19 pandemic, Global South countries such as South Africa were the last to get vaccines, ventilators and personal protective equipment, with these items delivered to wealthier nations first and surplus vaccines left to expire. Photo: David Harrison

Reform legislation to boost the Pandemic Treaty

Business interests and intellectual property laws privilege the wealthy and leave the rest scrabbling for life-saving medicine

By 9 September, South Africa had 25 laboratory-confirmed mpox cases in three provinces (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape), with three people dying from the virus. (Berkay Ataseven, iStock)
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No mpox jabs for SA yet — but WHO and Africa CDC will help to fight the outbreak

Health authorities say vaccines will mostly be donated, or, when available, be bought via negotiated deals with drugmakers, but with different budgets

Speakers at the BIO Africa Convention address the audience.

Positioning Africa as a vaccine manufacturing hub

Biotech experts, researchers and academics explore ways to boost Africa’s biotech innovations

Bolstering Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities

AU aims to position Africa as a global biotech investment destination

Making vaccination mandatory may be beneficial, given that the government has a responsibility to protect its people; but it does raise the issue of whether forcing individuals to receive a compulsory vaccination would interfere with their rights.

Are mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations a violation of human rights?

The issue is a complex one, and nearly impossible to enforce

South Africa should donate its spare Covid-19 vaccines

Doing so can bolster its soft power in the SACD region

(Unless South Africa’s  Covid-19 vaccine uptake improves soon, the country will be saddled with well over seven million expiring doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine by July — with nobody to offload them onto. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

More than 7-million expired Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines could be wasted by July

Vaccine hesitancy, corruption, and conspiracy theories and disinformation slow down uptake of Covid-19 vaccines

South Africans can now apply for a Covid-19 digital vaccine certificate  (Photo by Misha Jordaan/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Five steps to get your Covid-19 vaccine certificate

People without identity documents will have to wait for the government to put in place a proper vaccination system for them

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – NOVEMBER 19: Children over 12 years old receive Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 pandemic at Entoto health center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 19, 2021. (Photo by Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Sub-Saharan Africa children show higher Covid-19 death rate than elsewhere

Infants younger than one year in Africa have nearly five times the risk of death than those aged 15 to 19 years after contracting the virus

Bitter pill for complementary medicine sector

Time for Africa to take control of its own health

Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya among 27 countries yet to sign the treaty for the establishment of the African Medicines Agency.

A man wears a traditional Kankurang mask along the beach in the popular tourist area of Senegambia in Banjul on December 6, 2021. (Photo: John Wessels/AFP)

The Continent: Africa A-Z of 2021

The highlights of 2021 in Africa

Clear mandate: Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus

WHO director-general gives African public health conference thumbs up

Ghebreyesus says Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of nurturing strong science and research on the continent.

File photo by Madelene Cronjé

Children between 12 and 17 are now eligible for second vaccine shot

Those 12 years and older who are severely immunocompromised can get a Pfizer booster dose at least 28 days after their second jab

Has Africa taken its foot off the pedal in the race to secure enough Covid-19 vaccines for all?

Africa’s problem is vaccine access, not hesitancy

Omicron has shown up the racism of the West and highlighted inequalities and failures in our own countries. We need to tackle these to get more people vaccinated

Africa’s largest mobile operator by subscription, MTN, has called off its talks with Telkom about a proposed takeover.

MTN staff members who refuse vaccination will be fired

MTN has joined the list of companies that have made vaccines mandatory

(Mail & Guardian)

Editorial: The West dithers, but South Africa has to take some responsibility for this wave

We can’t bury our heads in the sand: there is no way to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic other than vaccination. South Africa — and the rest of Africa — still has a long way to go

The ABCs of DIY vaccines: Why tech transfer is a big thing

A new World Health Organisation initiative is helping nations make their own vaccines, reducing their dependency on imports.

How South Africa’s ivermectin use slips through the cracks

There is less demand for ivermectin when South Africa is between Covid-19 waves. But nobody is tracking how many people may be using the animal formulation

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)..

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…