Research Africa
A decade of HIV treatment has failed most high-risk young women
October 29th, 2019 A review of HIV incidence among young people in east and southern Africa since antiretroviral treatment (ART) roll-out reveals failures to reach the highest-risk young women. The systematic review and meta-analysis also found ART roll-out did not...
Young people receiving HIV treatment in SA increase 10-fold
October 9th, 2019 Results of a study of more than 700,000 one to 19-year olds being treated for HIV infection suggests a ten-fold increase in the number of adolescents aged 15 to 19 receiving HIV treatment in South Africa. However, Medical Xpress reports, despite...
Beverage producers' evidence against SA sugar tax was ‘out of context’ and ‘unscrupulous’ — study
October 2nd, 2019 Sugar-sweetened beverage producers submitted evidence that was out of context and exaggerated, in their appeal against South Africa’s proposed new sugar levy, Health-e News reports research has found. Coca-Cola, the Beverage Association of South...
SSA 'test and treat' programmes stumble
October 2nd, 2019 Programmes to scale-up HIV testing and treatment in countries in sub-Saharan Africa may have had less impact on new HIV infections than hoped, partly because they haven’t paid enough attention to groups that contribute disproportionately to HIV...
Registrar burnout at Wits far exceeds international norms
September 25th, 2019 More than that 80% registrars at the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Clinical Medicine suffer from burnout, a response to prolonged stress, with “extremely high” levels of depersonalisation, affecting professional response to...SA study links low language ability and poor mental health
A study focusing on language acquisition in Khayelitsha near Cape Town has found that adolescents with low language ability have higher levels of depressive symptoms. The study was published in the journal PLOS One. The results highlight a...
TB clusters show where HIV treatment is missing in South Africa
September 4th, 2019 Clusters of new cases of tuberculosis (TB) provide strong evidence of areas that need to be prioritised for improved antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage, and improved ART coverage is associated with a reduction in new TB cases, according to...
AI application to predict and diagnose life-threatening diseases
August 21st, 2019 A team of scientists from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), collaborating across theoretical and experimental physics and computer science, have developed and trained a new Machine Learning technique, to predict and diagnose diseases such as lung...
Study in KZN community gives policy pointers for fight against TB
August 14th, 2019 A study from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation & Sequencing Platform (KRISP) and the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) provides evidence that scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage...
Hepatitis E in pig-derived food products in Cape Town
August 7th, 2019 Hepatitis E virus (HEV) can be found in pork-containing meat products available for sale in Cape Town, found a study in the SA Medical Journal, with the authors warning that meat of pig origin should be thoroughly cooked before being...
Point-of-care technology for early infant HIV diagnosis
May 15th, 2019 Point-of-care testing for early infant HIV diagnosis is highly effective in reducing turnaround time for HIV test results, enabling earlier antiretroviral treatment initiation in infants in sub-Saharan Africa. An observational study by Flavia...
Age and education effects on cognitive functioning in Coloured women
April 24th, 2019 THIS STUDY HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN BY THE AUTHORS AND THE PUBLISHER, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition. CLICK HERE FOR AN OUTLINE OF THE CONTROVERSY. The original article in MedicalBrief: Coloured women in SA have an increased risk for low...
Do we need youth-friendly TB clinics?
March 27th, 2019 Tuberculosis treatment programmes in Cape Town, South Africa, do not currently distinguish between adolescent and adult TB patients, and in so doing, may miss opportunities for improving the treatment outcomes of young people with TB. According to a...
Ground-breaking research facility samples TB from breathed air
March 13th, 2019 Part of the research at the University of Cape Town's new new Aerobiology TB Research Facility involves measuring the amount of air individuals exchange, which may range from about 300 litres per day between children and adolescents, to...
Lactose-free/reduced-carb formula does not help severely malnourished children
March 6th, 2019 Treating hospitalised, severely malnourished children with a lactose-free, reduced-carbohydrate milk formula does not improve clinical outcomes, according to a multi-centre, double-blind trial in Kenya and Malawi. The study by Robert Bandsma of...