World Health Organization
latest news & developments
Throwing basket of diagnostics, drugs, vaccines and mozzie stoppers at malaria has not stopped the disease
The disease we know as Malaria was thought to be caused by breathing “bad air” (mal aria) that emanates from swamps. This was not “fake news” but a lack of understanding and…
Tehran and Arak under chemical siege
Israel chose targets at the heart of domestic survival because its planners know that fuel in a capital powers ambulances, clinics, refrigeration, generators, pumping systems,…
Global wars and fuel shocks are putting pregnant women at greater risk of dying in childbirth
As wars disrupt fuel supplies and health systems, more women are being forced to give birth without timely access to skilled care
How a boy born on World TB Day helped turn the tide on SA’s deadliest TB
Norbert Ndjeka was born on World TB Day. Decades later, he would reshape how South Africa treats the deadliest forms of the disease
GBV pandemic at our doorstep
Violence against women has become one of the most pervasive public health emergencies in modern history
Norway: Supporting South Africa’s leadership in the G20
South Africa has also taken a leading role in global health financing and pandemic preparedness
If a cigarette box isn’t disgusting, it’s not doing its job
A throat ulcer. Bloody urine. A sick baby. That’s what smokers in other countries see. In South Africa? For now, it’s a tiny black box
From the hospital to the lab: How we reported the snakebite scandal
You might think of snakebite as a niche issue rather than a devastating one. But it is thought to kill somewhere between 80,000 and 140,000 people a year.
By 2025, sangomas will have to be registered to practise
The health department says new regulations likely to come into force early next year are a step towards getting Western and traditional medicine to work together
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
The case for developing alternative maternity care models in SA
The development and implementation of new, hospital-based birthing centres with team-based maternity care models offer a promising solution
Mpox declaration marks a key shift in power for Africa
The continent asked for more say in global health decisions after Covid. It now has that. The mpox declaration is a test of this new power
SAMRC wastewater surveillance and research programme
Wastewater-based epidemiology can play a vital role in pandemic preparedness
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’
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