Mental health problems among adults are an ever-increasing public health concern. These include depression, anxiety, and conditions associated with bad childhood experiences such as abuse. Several factors are known to influence the development of mental illness. These include anxiety, early adversity, socio-economic status, and some demographic characteristics such as where a person lives. In a […]

Becoming an adult often seems to mean leaving play behind. The term “adulting” refers to doing things that are joyless, boring and tiresome – the opposite of play. But we can embrace adulthood while still finding joy through play and being playful. You might not realise it, but when you swing in your chair, slip […]

Sleep may be the single biggest factor in maintaining a healthy brain and positive mental health. This is especially true if you are under the age of 20. What is interesting — and problematic — is that most of us live with a sleep debt: in essence we are not getting enough sleep, so we […]

Attitudes to mental health conditions are often influenced by matters of awareness and belief systems. Bipolar disorder is one of the conditions that’s frequently misunderstood and stigmatised. This is the case in Ghana, where bipolar is generally referred to as atenkabrane nsesae yaree – a condition characterised by extreme changes in mood. A recent study […]

The recent deaths of over 300 children in Africa and Asia have prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn about the use of “substandard and falsified” medical products. The organisation called for more efforts to protect children from contaminated medicine.Toxicologists Winston Morgan and Shazma Bashir unpack the story. What caused the WHO to issue […]

South Africa’s Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, announced on Thursday, the first death linked to the recent cases of cholera detected in South Africa, as the number of laboratory-confirmed cases rises to five. Earlier this month the department had announced three cases of cholera identified in South Africa. The first cases were reported at […]

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has declared a measles outbreak in Cape Town after four cases were recorded from 24 January to 17 February 2023. “Even though all the lab-confirmed measles were investigated, no epidemiological link could be established,” the national public health institute said. However, according to the NICD, the cases meet […]

Pregnant mothers living in air pollution hotspots in South Africa risk bearing a child with a congenital birth anomaly; specifically orofacial cleft lip and palate (CLP). This is according to research done by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) in partnership with surgeons, researchers and Operation Smile. The research was presented this month at […]

What makes you happy? Maybe it’s getting up early to see the sunrise, hanging out with family and friends on a weekend, or going for a dip in the sea. But what does science say about the things happy people do? We know that happy people tend to have strong relationships, and good physical health […]

80% of South African travellers choose to exercise while on holiday, according to new research from the travel-loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy. The results also show that almost a third of those (32%) don’t normally work out, even when they’re at home. For many people, looking after their mental health is the biggest motivation behind working […]

South Africa is joining the global community to observe International Childhood Cancer Day to raise awareness and improve understanding of childhood cancer. International Childhood Cancer Day is observed annually across the world on February 15, with this year’s campaign observed under the #ThroughTheirHands theme, which focuses on paying tribute to the families and caregivers, and […]

Each year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates what probably sounds to many like a strange occasion: World Pulses Day. But, as a researcher focused on forgotten and underutilised legumes, I think the initiative is an important step towards food security. Getting people to eat more pulses can ultimately help achieve UN Sustainable Development […]

Queer people and sex workers are being treated with hostility at clinics and even denied services, according to a Ritshidze report launched on Monday. A survey by Ritshidze has found that sex workers, drug users and queer people are being treated badly at public health facilities. Some are even being denied services, the survey of […]

If you were to open your medicine cabinet right now, there’s a fair chance that you’d find at least one bottle of vitamins alongside the painkillers, plasters and cough syrup. After all, people are definitely buying vitamins: in 2020, the global market for complementary and alternative medicines, which includes multivitamin supplements, had an estimated value […]

Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, has called for vigilance as the country has recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera imported from Malawi. UPDATE 24 FEB ’23: South Africa records its first cholera death, linked to the recent cases. According to the department, the cases were confirmed in two sisters, who had travelled together from Johannesburg […]

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has confirmed a new outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) on a farm in Gauteng. The department said the farm has been put under quarantine and the Provincial Veterinary Services instituted forward and back-tracing investigations to identify any properties that could have had direct or indirect […]

South Africa’s Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, says for now, the SA government will not impose any internal restrictions as a result of the emergence of a newly found sub-variant of the COVID-19 virus. The first instance of the XBB.1.5 sub-variant was detected in South Africa in December and reported earlier this month. Phaahla explained […]

South Africa’s Department of Health (DOH) says it is in consultation with scientists over a highly transmissible variant of the COVID-19 virus. According to local media reports over the weekend, SA has found its first case of the variant. “[The department] has been alerted about this highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant and is currently in discussions […]

Winston Fani (35), an unemployed blind gentleman, lives in Mfuleni, Cape Town, with his lovely wife, Busi (43), who is also considered legally blind, and their faithful guide dog, Gladys. Winston was born with glaucoma, a progressive eye disease and from the age of 12, has lived life in total darkness. Like so many South […]

Cabotegravir is still unaffordable after two years. By Daniel Steyn.   In 2020, pharmaceutical company ViiV Healthcare announced that a bimonthly injection of its new drug, cabotegravir, prevents HIV infection. More than two years later, the drug is still unaffordable in countries where HIV is highly prevalent. Local medicines manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare says that licences […]

The South African government may not see them – children with huge hearts but twisted backs and crumpled spines – but fortunately, there are human angels in SA like Boikanyo, The Dion Herson Foundation, The Paige Project and Rotary Club of Rosebank who not only see these children and their caregivers… but are bringing hope, […]

Over 71,000 members of the youth volunteer group ‘WE ARE ONE’, headquartered in South Korea, have set a new Guinness World Records™ title for the most people to sign up online as blood donors within 24 hours… and they were supported by hundreds of South Africans in SA. ‘WE ARE ONE’ which forms part of […]

ALL RISE, a non-profit organisation and registered law clinic for climate and environmental justice, has commissioned an important independent report entitled ‘Everything for Dust: the Collective Trauma of Opencast Coal Mining on Residents in Somkhele, KZN’ which lays bare the collective trauma experienced as a result of opencast coal mining. This report will be released […]

South Africa’s Professor Tulio de Oliveira has received huge praise at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany. The globally acclaimed bioinformatics scientist has been singled out for his sterling genomic sequencing work that led to the discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. SA’s Health Ministry congratulated Prof de Oliveira who has been “praised […]

Nosizile Bonakele waits on the bank of the Xhora Mouth river at 6am to catch a small rowing boat and begin what will be a day-long journey to access the nearest government clinic. For residents of Xhora Mouth in rural Eastern Cape, a trip to the closest government clinic is a day-long journey. HIV, TB, […]