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The refusal to allow the cruise ship to dock in Cape Verde is an expression of the post-Covid-19 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from which the world suffers. Photo: Cruisemapper

A cruise ship, hantavirus and global PTSD

The memory of the Covid-19 shock shapes how governments and publics react to any new outbreak with even a hint of international spread

Norbert Ndjeka was born on World TB Day. Decades later, he would reshape how South Africa treats the deadliest forms of the disease. (Supplied)

How a boy born on World TB Day helped turn the tide on SA’s deadliest TB

Norbert Ndjeka was born on World TB Day. Decades later, he would reshape how South Africa treats the deadliest forms of the disease

Superbugs are a big public health issue. So is climate change. Put the two together and the problem becomes even bigger. (Dylan Bush)
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Superbugs plus climate change equals double trouble. Here’s why

As the Earth becomes hotter, we’re seeing more floods and droughts. Flooding can make superbugs spread faster and further. And heat helps germs adapt faster

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, speaking at the 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2025), hailed a new pan-African plan to boost regional manufacturing of vaccines and other drugs as a “truly historic development”.
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‘Turn crisis into opportunity,’ say African health leaders

Calls mount for African solutions to respond to the vaccine cuts and the need for a broad system-wide approach to vaccine production in Africa, and for innovative financing for…

From the hospital to the lab: How we reported the snakebite scandal

You might think of snakebite as a niche issue rather than a devastating one. But it is thought to kill somewhere between 80,000 and 140,000 people a year.

The African Snakebite Institution estimates that more than 4 000 people are bitten by snakes annually although only a quarter of them are admitted to hospital. Only 10% of those require antivenom treatment.
 (Photo by Kemal Karagoz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

SA Vaccine Producers face delays in snakebite antivenom production

About 4 000 people are bitten by snakes annually but only a quarter of those being admitted to hospital and only 10% require antivenom

Indiscriminate: A technician in Madrid with monkeypox samples. Anybody can acquire the virus if they have had close contact with an infected person. Photo: Pedro Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Mpox declaration marks a key shift in power for Africa

The continent asked for more say in global health decisions after Covid. It now has that. The mpox declaration is a test of this new power

The health department says the country still has has enough vaccines based on the number of active cases. (Photo by: NIH-NIAID/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Government says mpox is under control but cites Covid-19 pandemic in urging caution

President Cyril Ramaphosa said it was about the rapid spread of the disease across the continent, which reflected a ‘concerning shift in the epidemiological pattern’

Mpox has been declared a public health emergency by the ACDC. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

South Africa’s health department urges vigilance as mpox is declared a continental public health emergency

The African Centres for Disease Control said so far in 2024, 13 countries had confirmed 2 863 cases and 517 deaths from the viral disease

Protesters get arrested for refusing to wear face masks  at the Worldwide Rally For Freedom at Muizenberg Surfers Corner on November 20, 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa.(Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Pandemic preparations are unhealthy

A proposed treaty and law changes would compromise national and health sovereignty

A doctor draws blood from a patient’s finger at a hospital emergency department in Shanghai, China, on November 14, 2023. There has been a spike in  influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia. (Photo:  Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

WHO asks China for more data on latest respiratory illnesses outbreak

China’s National Health Commission said last week that the spread was due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens

Will Earth’s changing climate make TB spread faster?

By 2030, the planet is likely to be warmer, undermining the fight against tuberculosis

In a study released by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), 4 001 trucks and buses were recorded as being involved in fatal crashes from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022.  (Photo by MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Transport department outlines plans for public accessibility

Increase in road fatalities inspires strategic framework for transport

Dr Tamryn Frank, Researcher, University of the Western Cape; Lori Lake, Communication and Education Specialist, Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town; Gilbert Tshitaudzi, UNICEF Nutrition Manager; Christine Muhigana, Representative, UNICEF; Dr Chantell Witten, Senior Lecturer and Researcher, University of the Witwatersrand; Makoma Bopape, University of Limpopo; and Jane Badham, Managing Director, JB Consultancy.

The Sweet, Salty and Fatty Violence of Malnutrition

Restricting the advertising of unhealthy foodstuffs is crucial for promoting healthier eating options

Photo by Delwyn Verasamy/M&G

The One Health action plan balances the health of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems

The plan aims to create a framework to integrate systems and capacity to improve prevention, prediction, detection and response to health threats.

People weren’t able to be tested or treated for tuberculosis testing or treatment, derailing targets to end the disease(Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Covid-19 lockdown tore apart the TB safety net

Five years of progress in the fight against TB have been eliminated because of the pandemic

Clear mandate: Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus

WHO director-general gives African public health conference thumbs up

Ghebreyesus says Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of nurturing strong science and research on the continent.

Prevention: A nurse tests a health worker for Covid-19 at a clinic in Johannesburg.  (Photo by MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images)

Covid’s here to stay, so live with it

The world must be responsible in its reaction to the virus in all its varieties

Photo by: David Harrison/M&G

The Covid-19 Omicron variant: What is known so far

As scientists scramble to learn more about it, infectious disease expert Professor Salim Abdool Karim says current vaccines are effective against the new variant

The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP via Getty Images)

South Africa at the start of a Covid-19 vaccine the world has never seen

The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task