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Malaria is caused by a very complex organism (parasite) which was found in mosquitoes trapped in resin from 30 million years ago

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…

Iran’s advantage lies in its ability to produce content that aligns with platform operations at both speed and scale. Meanwhile, the conflict continues on the ground, where a ceasefire holds unevenly and negotiations remain uncertain.

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

Norbert Ndjeka was born on World TB Day. Decades later, he would reshape how South Africa treats the deadliest forms of the disease. (Supplied)

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

Acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia. Photo: GCIS

GBV pandemic at our doorstep

Violence against women has become one of the most pervasive public health emergencies in modern history

Healing the world: With support from such countries as Norway, South Africa stands at the precipice of punching above its weight in providing
global health solutions. Photo: Supplied

Norway: Supporting South Africa’s leadership in the G20

South Africa has also taken a leading role in global health financing and pandemic preparedness

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. Photo: Canva

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.

Practitioners will have to pay registration fees to the council every year and show proof of being appropriately trained for the type of service they offer. (Photo supplied)

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

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

Preeclampsia is a rising threat to maternal and infant health. Urgent investment in genetic research and early detection could save thousands of lives

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

Indiscriminate: A technician in Madrid with monkeypox samples. Anybody can acquire the virus if they have had close contact with an infected person. Photo: Pedro Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

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 colleagues in discussion during a visit to UCT Future Water Hub in Franschhoek.

SAMRC wastewater surveillance and research programme

Wastewater-based epidemiology can play a vital role in pandemic preparedness

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)

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’

Mpox has been declared a public health emergency by the ACDC. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

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

Medical negligence is a public health problem that impacts patients globally

Not all claims result in awards, and litigation is often a personally and professionally devastating experience

This 1997 image was created during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire, and depicts the palms of a patient with a case of monkeypox in Lodja, a town in the Katako-Kombe health zone. (Photo by: CDC/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

New strain of mpox cases surge in DRC and neighbouring countries

The Clade Ib strain has already jumped borders, with cases being reported in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya in the last two weeks

France celebrates Bastille Day

French economic presence in South Africa is solid, with nearly 500 companies representing more than 65 000 direct jobs

Global development head at Amref Health Africa Githinji Gitahi also believes that giving more women the microphone at decision-making summits is essential. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

‘I walked out of the World Health Assembly due to women’s absence, and would do it again’

The under-representation of women goes beyond policy-making and into practice, despite evidence that when they lead, things tend to work better

Suffering: Iman al-Masri, a displaced Palestinian, gave birth to quadruplets in a shelter at a school in the Gaza Strip on 25 December. Photo: Majdi Fathi/Getty Images

The vulnerable experience of childbirth during war

When Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, I was nine months pregnant … what if I had been there?