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Growing number of SA children hungry and dying – report
The condition of children in South Africa, particularly those under six, is worsening, according to a new report, with nearly 40% of them being...
Vosloorus hospital under fire for shoddy service
After the suspension several months ago of nurses who allegedly left a sick child in a bed with soiled linen, another parent has complained...
WHO prequalifies self-test for Hep C virus
The first hepatitis C virus (HCV) self-test has been pre-qualified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), providing critical support in expanding access to testing...
FDA bans harmful beverage additive
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food products as from 2 August, but...
TikTok main source of health info for Gen Z, finds survey
A recent survey found that most young Americans under 26 (Generation Z) get their health and wellness advice from TikTok, yet at least one...
Ending childhood stunting vital for South Africa's future prosperity
A key indicator to measure progress by government, writes Dr Edzani Mphaphuli in Mail & Guardian, is by closely monitoring stunting rates in children....
NHLS system still faltering as cyberattacks hit global healthcare
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which had expected to restore its systems by 15 July after hackers forced it to revert to paper...
NHLS cyber hack continues to cause chaos in hospitals
Doctors and other medical staff have expressed frustration and alarm at the devastating impact the cyber attack on South Africa’s National Health Laboratory Service...
No health qualifications for SA’s nine MECs
The appointments for the country’s nine Health MECs include five new ones while four have been reappointed, reports Spotlight – and with none of...
Vital for SA’s HIV+ babies to be tested, as infections rise
The SA National Aids Council (Sanac) has reiterated the importance of at least 95% of children infected with HIV being tested and “linked to...
South African nurses lured to well-paying Canada
Nurses from South Africa – which already has a chronic shortage of them – are among the thousands of local medical professionals being lured...
Draft codeine guideline now out for comment
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has released its new draft guideline it hopes will help stem the misuse of codeine, and...
New Eastern Cape Health MEC vows to fix distressed hospitals
East London’s Frere Hospital has a drastic shortage not just of 18 midwives and nurses but also of beds in its maternity section, which...
WHO suggests therapeutic HPV jabs to scale up vaccination
While a vaccine already exists to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, more than 20 therapeutic HPV vaccine candidates are...
Pandemic treaty talks extended for a year
Talks to finalise a global pandemic agreement have been extended, with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) picking up discussions again from 16 July at...
Rise in global deaths from physical inactivity – WHO report
Deaths resulting from low physical activity in South Africa almost tripled over 30 years, according to a new WHO report, which warns that a...
NHI tug-o'-war for GNU and new Minister
The National Health Insurance (NHI) poses one of the biggest challenges for the new Health Minister and the government of national unity (GNU), whose...
Spike in smoking during lockdown, local analysis finds
South Africans puffed away frantically during lockdown, according to a recent local analysis, which also noted an associated increase in waterpipe/hubbly-bubbly use during 2021...
SA’s insulin pens supply dries up as weight-loss drugs take priority
South Africa has run out of the human insulin pens for people with diabetes as the global pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to blockbuster...
HPV one-dose jab campaign to now include private schools
The Department of Health has announced that it is moving from a two-dose to a single-dose HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine regimen and that...
Don't delay mpox vaccine roll-out, experts urge health authorities
Health experts say government should start the roll-out of mpox vaccines to targeted groups without delay as a third man (40) died of mpox...
Why major HIV and statins finding may not apply in South Africa
One of the biggest stories in HIV in the past year was that statins could help reduce cardiovascular disease in people with the virus....
Millions for NPO rehab centre diverted to Life Healthcare account
A forensic investigation by Gauteng’s Department of Social Development (DSD) department has found that R112m of taxpayers’s money meant for drug recovery patients was...
Passing of Tobacco Bill urged for SA and its 12.7m smokers
Anti-tobacco groups in South Africa – where smokers on average puff on 8.5 cigarettes a day – urged the new government this week to...
Heat in sub-Saharan Africa tied to miscarriage risk – UKZN study
A study by University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) scientists has found evidence linking maternal heat exposure – during the month before conception – with miscarriage,...
European warning on drug-resistant gonorrhoea and rise in infections
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has recorded a worryingly dramatic surge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) amid a substantial increase in...
Once a rural health flagship, now the 'hospital of death'
Following the passage of the National Health Insurance Act, the challenge is to bring public hospitals up to an acceptable standard, writes MedicalBrief. It will...
Unicef report warns that 25% of SA’s toddlers face severe food poverty
A report by the United Nations Children’s Agency Unicef shows that almost a quarter (23%) of South African children under five are at risk...
Protests at Eastern Cape hospital over doctor's transfer
Protests have erupted from hospital staff and the local community after a senior doctor, who has worked at Zithulele Hospital in the Eastern Cape...
SA records first mpox death
The country recorded its first death from mpox on Monday when a 37-year-old man died in Tembisa Hospital, with Health Minister Joe Phaahla saying...
Rahima Moosa Hospital again under fire over patient treatment
Gauteng Health has denied allegations that a pregnant patient was badly treated or forced to sleep in chairs and on the floor at Rahima...
DNA technology may impede MDR-TB progress – SA Health Department
The National Department of Health plans to use DNA technology to test whether the genetic make-up of TB germs has changed in such a...
International health volunteers 'can harm' local relationships in Africa
Every year, thousands of international health volunteers travel to Africa with the intention of “improving health outcomes” and learning about “global health”. However, from...
US National Academies' report underscores severity of long Covid
One of America’s premier medical advisory organisations has weighed in on long Covid with a 265-page report that recognises the seriousness and persistence of...
SA's rollout of HIV prevention jabs stymied by price
Although HIV infections in South Africa have plummeted in 20 years, from highs of more than 500 00 to around 149 000 in 2023, new...
Face masks for school as RSV cases surge
Authorities in the Western Cape Health Department have sounded a warning about respiratory infections among children, which have risen in the past month and...
Who's in the running to be Health Minister in a coalition government?
With a coalition government now one of the options going forward after last week's elections, ministerial posts – including the top health job –...
Ozempic use surges by 600% in children – US analysis
The number of 12- to 25-year-olds using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has climbed by almost 600%, according to a recent analysis of...
Simple measures can help fight ‘superbugs’ – Lancet series
South African scientists are among an international group urging better use of existing tools for preventing the spread of bacteria, saying wider access to...
Covid wiped out decade of life expectancy progress
The recently released World Health Statistics 2024 report urges countries to redouble their efforts towards health-related sustainable development goals by 2030, as the pandemic...