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Infectious Diseases
Mpox cases rise in South Africa, Mozambique
Laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox are gradually rising in the country, South African health authorities have warned, after two recent cases were confirmed in Gauteng...
Penicillin jab recall jeopardises syphilis gains in the United States
Pfizer has warned of a possible shortage of Bicillin L-A, a long-acting injection of the antibiotic penicillin used for treating syphilis during pregnancy, after...
Dire handwashing habits of hospital loo users – UK-Danish study
British researchers – in a 19-week study in partnership with Bispebjerg Hospital in Denmark – have found that almost one of every two people...
US measles cases hit 33-year high
Measles cases in the United States have hit a 33-year high, with 1 288 confirmed infections in 39 states, according to the US Centres...
Low screening, weak referrals, drive SA’s high cervical cancer rates
Compared with other countries, South Africa has a much higher global cervical cancer rate – between 22.8 and 27 per 100 000 women, with...
Health experts urge government to prioritise antimicrobial resistance
An open letter from more than 70 infectious disease and public health experts is urging the Department of Health and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi...
Gauteng Health on vaccine drive as measles spreads
Measles cases are escalating in Gauteng, with the Health Department now launching an aggressive vaccination campaign in schools and at taxi ranks, in efforts...
Mass treatment with antibiotic may increase AMR – London-Malawi study
Efforts to reduce child mortality in Africa via mass treatment with the antibiotic azithromycin (AZM) may lead to increased drug resistance in bacteria that...
Body weight counts with antibiotics, Dutch study finds
With the increased girth of much of the world’s population, and rising obesity even in youngsters, global investigators say a person’s weight could have...
SA may have long wait for promising new gonorrhoea drugs
Two new antibiotics offer hope for people with gonorrhoea that is resistant to currently available drugs, yet it might be years before these drugs...
Type 2 diabetes triples Covid death risk – Russian study
Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) who faced heightened health risks throughout and since the Covid-19 pandemic, were more than three times likelier...
NHS England rolls out ‘world-first’ gonorrhoea jab as cases rise
A vaccine for gonorrhoea is to be rolled out in England as part of a world-first programme, with officials calling it a “landmark moment for sexual...
NIH grant funds first comprehensive syphilis test
With global syphilis cases on the rise, the news of a $2.7m research grant towards the development of a one-stop diagnostic test has been...
Broader antibiotic use could reduce cholera cases – Utah modelling study
Recent disease modelling research from the University of Utah Health suggests that for some cholera outbreaks, prescribing antibiotics more aggressively could slow or stop...
Africa CDC to review mpox emergency status
Renowned epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim will lead a panel of experts to review the status and classification of mpox on the continent, and...
Measles adds to Ugandan mpox crisis as death toll passes 5 400
The cumulative number of confirmed mpox cases in Uganda has hit 5 431, with 40 deaths reported since the outbreak was declared nine months...
Europe failing in fight against HIV, TB and STIs
Regional health authorities have warned that many countries in Europe will miss a target to combat HIV, TB, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)...
Whooping cough makes a comeback in the US
Whooping cough (pertussis) cases in the United States were nearly 16 times higher in 2024 than during the Covid-19 pandemic low in 2021, warn...
Return of endemic measles may be looming for US, study says
America is hovering on the brink of a return of endemic measles – a quarter of a century after the disease was declared eradicated...
Antibiotic resistance risking SA’s newborns’ lives
Experts say bacterial infections are responsible for more infant deaths than is generally recognised, and that things may get worse as more of the...
Could polio be poised for a comeback?
Although the world is close to wiping out polio, there are signs the virus is not quite ready to go the way of smallpox...
Another 150 000 HIV infections possible by 2028 from aid cuts
A modelling study commissioned by the National Department of Health into the impact of the Pepfar funding cuts has revealed that this could result...
Drug-resistant infections killed 3m children worldwide
A landmark study presented this week at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in Vienna has revealed that more than...
Death toll rises in Nigeria meningitis outbreak
Nigeria is struggling with a rapidly spreading meningitis outbreak that has so far killed 151 people – children affected the most – with efforts...
UTI drug offers hope as new gonorrhoea treatment – global study
A new type of antibiotic to treat urinary tract infections could also work against gonorrhoea infections, a study has suggested, possibly launching the medication...
Hidden spread of C diff in ICUs revealed – US study
A study by researchers at the University of Utah suggests that one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) spreads more widely in intensive care units...
Warning as new mpox variant spreads
Local infectious disease experts have warned people to be more vigilant regarding the new highly infectious mpox variant, Clade 1b, which has been reported...
Kennedy enrages supporters by now endorsing MMR vaccine
An endorsement of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr this past weekend...
Victorian diseases on the rise in Britain, warn doctors
Doctors in England have raised concerns over a rise in Victorian diseases, such as scabies, and growing health inequalities caused by poor-quality housing, air pollution and access to transport.
A...
UK draws up new disease-threat watch list
Britain has a new watch list of 24 infectious diseases that could pose the greatest future threat to public health, the aim being to...
Oxford launches first human aerosol TB vaccine trial
A new clinical trial called TB-45 to test tuberculosis (TB) vaccine safety – the first-in-human aerosol mycobacterial challenge infection model – has been launched.
The...
Unvaccinated US measles patients display vitamin A toxicity
Several children admitted to hospital with measles in Texas and New Mexico are displaying symptoms of vitamin A toxicity, doctors have said, adding that...
TB drug shortage hits provinces
The Eastern Cape is reaching crisis point with TB drug stockouts three months after reports of a global shortage of the medicines first emerged,...
Three new mpox cases in Gauteng
Three more laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox have been detected in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, where three other cases were detected at the end of February, including...
Waning immunity, low jab rate, trigger SA diphtheria cases
Over the past 14 months, South Africa has experienced its highest rise in diphtheria cases in 30 years, with doctors attributing this to waning...
Hand, foot and mouth disease cases surge in Eastern Cape
Cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) have risen to 78 in the Eastern Cape, with the provincial Department of Health saying most...
Global measles cases spread among the unvaccinated
The number of measles cases linked to an outbreak in Texas has grown to more than 300, with around 40 cases reported over the...
Nigeria Lassa fever death toll now 100
Nigeria has recorded 29 new Lassa fever infections and five deaths in one week, bringing the total fatalities recorded in 2025 to 100, according...
Vital leprosy drugs arrive in Nigeria after year-long delay
After waiting for more than a year, Nigerians with leprosy will finally be able to obtain critical drugs to treat the disease, which were...
Kennedy's conflicting advice leave US doctors frustrated
Doctors and medical experts in the United States are irate about the mixed messaging and controversial advice being dispensed by Health & Human Services...