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People in Africa live longer. But their health is poor in those extra years
While women in sub-Saharan Africa live longer than men, many of these extra years are lived in poor health.ShutterstockPeople are now living longer in sub-Saharan Africa than they did two decades ago....
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Why improving access to surgery in childbirth makes economic sense
Pregnant women waiting to see a doctor at a hospital in Uganda. ShutterstockMaternal mortality remains high around the world, with more than 303,000 women dying in pregnancy, childbirth or shortly...
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Nigeria isn't doing enough to reduce tobacco use. Here's why
Because of its size, Nigeria has the potential to boost the global anti-tobacco movement.ShutterstockTobacco remains the biggest public health threat, killing more than seven million people globally...
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There are many complex reasons for South Africa's organ donor shortage
Many countries around the world can't meet the demand for donor organs.ShutterstockAt any given time, there are around 4300 people waiting for organ donations in South Africa. These patients usually...
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Why does malaria recur? How pieces of the puzzle are slowly being filled in
ShutterstockSome people suffer from repeated attacks of malaria. These can occur weeks to months or longer after contracting the disease. The phenomenon is only too familiar to those who were bitten by...
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How we used computers to figure out drugs that can beat drug-resistant TB
Around 18% of previously treated TB cases are drug resistant.ShutterstockTuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases. Globally, it accounts for around 1.3 million...
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Huge disparities in C-sections highlights inequalities in healthcare
C-sections can have long-term complications for moms and babies.Reynardt/ShutterstockWhen pregnancy or childbirth go wrong, access to Caesarean section – usually known as C-section – can be the...
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Injuries from burns in Kenya affect mostly children and happen in homes
Many children got burn injuries because of poor housing.ShutterstockAn estimated 180,000 people die every year worldwide as a result of burns and survivors often suffer terribly. Burn injuries are...
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Why African countries need to give genomic research a major boost
Personalised medicine aims to tailor treatment according to each person’s genetic makeup.ShutterstockAll organisms are unique. Each having a set of genetic instructions for their build-up and...
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How easy access to alcohol, and adverts, affect women in South Africa
Global evidence suggests that alcohol advertisements increase adolescents’ favourable attitudes towards drinking.ShutterstockPublic health research suggests that concerns about alcohol advertising and...
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What is medicine? Why it's so important to answer this question
Is medicine cure? Treatment? Healing? Understanding? Or a bit of all those things.Kenishiroti/ShutterstockWhat is medicine? We recognise it in all societies past and present. But the nature of medicine...
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How to target resources in efforts to end female genital mutilation
ShutterstockA new study shows that 130 million women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in 29 of the highest prevalence countries, many of which are in Africa. And 30 million more girls in...
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Why screen time for babies, children and adolescents needs to be limited
Less recreational screen time is better for children. ShutterstockThere is increasing concern about the amount of time children and adolescents are spending in recreational screen time. There’s also...
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Why delays to fixing health care are bad news for South Africans
Over 80% of South Africans rely on state facilities like Chris Hani Baragwanath, the third largest hospital in the world.ShutterstockThe release of a final report about the state of competition in...
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Weighing up the costs of treating 'lifestyle' diseases in South Africa
Salty and fatty foods are driving up obesity. ShutterstockEconomic growth, accompanied by a fall in infectious diseases over the past two decades, has changed the profile of the biggest threats to the...
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Why Ebola vaccine on trial in the DRC is raising hopes
Mali was one of the West African countries affected by the biggest Ebola outbreak ever recorded from 2014 to 2016.ShutterstockThe World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasised that an experimental...
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Fresh insights into the lives of Kenya's urban teen mothers
When girls in Kenya fall pregnant, they must often deal with stigma, fear and shame.sqofield/ShutterstockTeen pregnancies are a pervasive phenomenon in Kenya. Based on the most recent national figures,...
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Ebola vaccine is key in ongoing efforts to contain the DRC outbreak
A health worker prepares to administer the experimental Ebola vaccine in north-western DRC. EPA-EFE/STRVaccines are recognised as one of the most powerful tools in controlling and preventing infectious...
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Why anti-vaccine beliefs and ideas spread so fast on the internet
Vaccines are an important health intervention.ShutterstockThere’s been a recent increase globally in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. This can be seen in recent measles outbreaks in parts of...
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New ways of thinking on health, arts and humanities are emerging in Africa
A University of Cape Town medical student doing yoga for a project that draws on ideas from medical and health humanities.Third Year Yoga SSM GroupImagine bringing the best of all academic disciplines,...
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