Author: Njih Favour
Of the eight million people living with HIV in South Africa, around 6.2 million were taking antiretroviral treatment in 2024. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 9th June 2025 | Marcus Low Eight million people living with HIV. Just over 6 million on treatment. Behind these big numbers lurk a universe of fascinating epidemiological dynamics. In this special briefing, Spotlight editor Marcus Low unpacks what we know about the state of HIV in South Africa. Four decades ago hardly anyone in South Africa had HIV. Today, roughly one in eight people here are living with the virus. HIV has quite simply…
South African expert Professor Helen Rees was one of six global public health champions celebrated at the recent World Health Assembly. Rees was named the recipient of the prestigious Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize in recognition of her contributions to global health. Health-e News spoke with Rees about the significance of receiving a lifetime achievement award, key milestones in her career, and the challenges of cuts to internal funding for health programmes. Subscribe to our newsletter What does receiving this prize mean to you? Dr Lee Jong-wook was a former Director-General of the World Health Organization who died in office,…
06 Jun Warfarin and Tramadol – Harmful Drug-Drug Interaction Posted at 11:39h in Safety Alerts 1 by Ntokozo Msiza The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) would like to inform healthcare professionals about the risk of a drug-drug interaction (DDI) associated with concomitant use of warfarin and tramadol. Taking these two medicines simultaneously can lead to an increase in the International Normalised Ratio (INR), and result in severe ecchymosis and bleeding, which may lead to death. Although the mechanism has not been elucidated, occasional reports of elevated INR, ecchymosis and/or bleeding have been identified in patients taking warfarin after…
by Florence de Vries, Head of Marketing and Communication at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences In the heart of hospitals, wards and clinics across the world, the people we turn to for healing are often quietly battling wounds of their own. Doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and other healthcare workers are disproportionately affected by depression, anxiety, and burnout – a reality that, despite its prevalence, is too rarely spoken about. A 2025 study at a South African university found that many medical students are experiencing serious mental health challenges, with worrying levels of anxiety and depression. Results…
The Department of Social Development in Gauteng is at loggerheads with non-profit organisations working to prevent unsafe baby abandonment. The department has branded “baby savers” illegal and is threatening to close down and remove children from organisations that have baby savers. Baby savers or boxes are specially designed structures – usually built into the outside wall of an organisation – that trigger an alarm once a baby has been placed inside, allowing for the infant to be retrieved and taken to a place of safety. The baby savers are meant to be alternatives to the widely reported unsafe abandonment of babies in…
The Department of Health has raised concerns that, despite decades of progress in tobacco control, emerging nicotine products threaten to undermine efforts to reduce smoking nationwide – particularly among young people. “These products are marketed aggressively and often presented as safer alternatives, but they pose serious public health risks and are contributing to a new generation of nicotine addiction,” says deputy health minister Dr Joe Phaahla during a networking session hosted by the health department this week. Research indicates that there are more than 2,600 types of e-cigarette liquids and over 213 e-cigarette websites operating in the country making it…
The hepatitis B virus is one of several viruses that causes inflammation in the liver, and can lead to serious health issues if the infection persists. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 4th June 2025 | Sue Segar When Desmond Pedro discovered a strange hardness under his ribcage, he was just 30 and preparing for a fresh start on a government skills course. Little did he know that he would soon die of liver cancer caused by undetected hepatitis B. Spotlight spent time with his family and spoke to experts to uncover how this overlooked virus continues to claim lives —…
E-cigarettes or vapes are often marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. Their popularity has surged, especially among young people, potentially creating a new generation of smokers. This is a particular concern for a country like South Africa which has a huge youth bulge, warns Dr Sharon Nyatsanza, Deputy Director at the National Council Against Smoking. It’s estimated that 2.2% of current smokers in South Africa use e-cigarettes. A recent study which included 25,000 learners across 52 high schools in South Africa found that one in six learners are vaping. “Dual use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes is high…
by Tian Johnson, Founder of the Pan African health justice non-profit The African Alliance On 2 June, we observe International Sex Workers Day, a date rooted in defiance. It marks the 1975 occupation of Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon by over 100 sex workers protesting police harassment, abuse, and state neglect. Nearly five decades later, that occupation feels less like history and more like prophecy. Today, South African sex workers face the same abandonment, in the guise of data gaps, moral posturing, and political silence. The criminalisation of sex work in South Africa is not a policy gap. It is an…
The bacteria that causes gonorrhoea is constantly developing resistance to the drugs used to treat it. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 2nd June 2025 | Catherine Tomlinson Two new antibiotics offer hope for people with gonorrhoea that is resistant to currently available drugs. Yet, it might be years before the people who need these medicines can get them. Spotlight unpacks why these new antibiotics are important and what needs to happen before they can be used in South Africa. Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection known for its ability to quickly mutate to evade the antibiotics used to treat it.…