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Communicable Diseases
Nigeria confirms first Ebola case
The Nigerian health ministry said a woman had been diagnosed with Ebola in the capital, Abuja, after travelling from Uganda, reports Sky News.
This is...
Plague cover-up suspected after Russian woman's death and 200 under observation
Almost 200 people have been placed under medical observation in Russia’s Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia after a scientist died from suspected exposure to...
Mpox surges in SA and 11 African countries
South Africa is seeing a surge in mpox infections, with at least 18 new cases reported – mostly in the Western Cape – while...
Unvaccinated infant rates triple in SA
The Department of Health says continually plummeting vaccination rates have contributed to the rise in measles infections countrywide, with 3 462 laboratory-confirmed cases recorded...
First mpox cases in Guinea-Bissau
The small West African country of Guinea-Bissau is facing its first-ever mpox outbreak, with children accounting for half of the 46 suspected cases, reports...
Explosive mpox outbreak batters Madagascar
More than 3 000 cases of mpox have been recorded in Madagascar after the virus spread from a single port city to some of...
Measles cases reach 35-year high in United States
America has already recorded 2 295 measles cases this year, a number not seen since 1991, according to new data published on the Johns...
SA’s Ebola risk ‘low’ as rare virus strain rips through Congo
As the number of Ebola deaths rises to more than 130 in the Eastern Congo, and despite the WHO having declared a global emergency...
Mystery illness in Burundi kills five
At least five people have died in Burundi, and another three dozen become ill from unexplained causes, reports CIDRAP News.
The case-fatality rate of 14%...
Surge in TB research heralds hope for centuries-old epidemic
After decades of stagnation, a renewed push in tuberculosis research is expanding the drug and vaccine pipeline to bring one of humanity’s oldest and...
Madagascar reports first mpox death
Madagascar has reported its first death – a three-year-old girl – from mpox since the disease was detected in the country last December, according to...
Western Cape Health says meningitis under control
There is no meningococcal meningitis outbreak in the Western Cape, the provincial Department of Health and Wellness said last week, noting that only 11...
When will SA take the prevention of chronic HBV infection seriously?
South Africa bears a significant burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and a notable prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among pregnant...
US threatens Gavi over vaccines ingredient
The US Government has threatened to withdraw all future funding unless Gavi, the vaccine alliance, removes the ingredient thimerosal from its vaccines. This comes...
Western Cape diphtheria cases on the rise
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has warned that cases of toxigenic respiratory diphtheria are increasing, particularly in the Western Cape, where booster...
Nipah virus cases in India trigger Asian airport screenings
After the recording of two confirmed cases of the Nipah virus in West Bengal, India, authorities in parts of Asia – Singapore, Thailand and...
Six countries lose WHO measles-free status
A rise in measles deaths – and a decline in the number of children having the MMR jab – has resulted in Britain, with...
Hidden mpox exposure found in healthy Nigerians – Cambridge study
The mpox virus appears to be circulating silently in parts of Nigeria, in many cases without the symptoms typically associated with the disease, according...
Novel cholera vaccine shows promise in phase 1 trial
Oral cholera vaccines have played a critical role in efforts to prevent and control the severe and potentially life-threatening diarrhoeal disease. But experts agree...
Growing concern over drop in infant immunisations
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness recently flagged a concerning decline in infant immunisation rates, and is intensifying its campaign to step...
Measles outbreaks escalate in Western Cape
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness has escalated its vaccination campaigns, warning of an increase in measles outbreaks in areas like Khayelitsha,...
AI steps in to detect TB
Many low- and middle-income countries are now using AI to screen for tuberculosis, saving hundreds of lives in regions where doctors and other technology...
AMR in South Africa a 'silent pandemic'
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the most critical global health threats, which could result in 169m people dying of AMR-related causes over the...
SA starts ground-breaking clinical trials for oral cholera vaccine
Clinical trials testing the efficacy of the first locally manufactured oral cholera vaccine, developed by Biovac, were officially launched on Tuesday, reports TimesLIVE – which...
Tshwane alert after typhoid spike
Officials in the City of Tshwane say they have stepped up investigations into a rise in typhoid fever cases in Hammanskraal and Bronkhorstspruit amid...
Last Ebola patient discharged in Congo
The last Ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was discharged a week ago, marking an important milestone in the efforts to...
Namibia confirms first case of mpox
Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services has confirmed the first case of mpox – in Swakopmund, reports The Namibian.
“Surveillance, contact tracing, and response...
NICD urges vaccinations as measles cases continue to rise
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported a continued rise in measles cases across South Africa, with Gauteng leading in the number...
Rwanda’s rapid response to Marburg outbreak lauded
A comprehensive response to a September 2024 Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak in two Rwandan hospitals may not only have reduced mortality rates, but...
WHO ends mpox public health emergency, Africa CDC extends it
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had ended the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for mpox outbreaks in Africa, reports CIDRAP, but the...
Ebola vaccination campaign kicks off in southern DRC
Vaccination for people exposed to the Ebola virus and frontline health workers has begun in southern Kasai province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo,...
Rare condition a dangerous complication of flu
Five weeks after Olivia Li turned four, she slipped into unconsciousness, a rare and unexpected consequence of a flu infection.
She had developed acute necrotising...
Experts oppose Kennedy’s hepatitis B jab theories
Scathing American public health experts are pushing back against doubts and criticisms about the hepatitis B vaccine spread by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy...
Scientists call for stronger action in DRC mpox crisis
Mpox is spreading faster, showing new modes of transmission and affecting different populations, with scientists warning that the disease needs to be brought under...
Mpox testing project launched in Africa as cases rise
With mpox infections continuing to rise on the continent, the Africa CDC and the European Commission have launched the Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and...
Stellenbosch University confirms student’s meningitis death
Stellenbosch University has confirmed that Chris Scheffers (19), a second-year theology student whose body was discovered in his residence on the weekend, died from...
New flu drug may work better than influenza vaccines – US trial
A new influenza drug that lasts for an entire flu season may outperform flu vaccines, according to the results of a large phase 2b...
Vaccinations urged as measles infections spread in Free State
Health authorities in the Free State have confirmed 64 cases of measles across the Lejweleputswa district in children aged between five and nine, reports...
WHO extends mpox emergency after African surge
After a World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency committee meeting last week on the mpox upsurge in Africa, the group’s director-general has accepted the recommendation...
Ethiopia reports first mpox cases
Mpox is continuing to spread across the continent, with the first three cases being reported in Ethiopia last week and the Africa Centres for...