Menopause in SA: Women want answers, not ‘old granny’ labels
Across the country’s townships and rural clinics, women are breaking inherited silences to redefine reproductive ageing on their own terms. Joan van Dyk reports.
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TB killed 53 000 people in SA in 2025, finds WHO
The number of people falling ill with TB in South Africa is declining year-on-year, but the number of deaths due to the disease remains stubbornly high. Marcus Low reports on the latest statistics.
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Donated mpox vaccine stock will be deployed as needed, says health dept as cases climb to 26
Twenty of this year’s 26 confirmed mpox cases came after August, concentrated mostly within the Western Cape. Elri Voigt looks at how the virus has changed and how much of the donated vaccine is left.
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Why the Northern Cape’s only public cancer doctor for kids left for the private sector
Dr Liezl du Plessis tells Biénne Huisman about the public sector paediatric oncology unit she established in Kimberley, and how a broken system forced her to abandon this dream. She now pursues her passion treating children and teenagers in Pretoria’s private sector.
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The health department should explain when boys will be considered for HPV vaccination
South Africa’s health department should assess the inclusion of boys in its public human papillomavirus vaccination programme. This assessment, argues Professor Colleen Aldous, should account for the protection boys could gain, the cost of delivering it, and the work still required to reach girls who miss vaccination and women who need cervical screening and treatment.
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Interactive Data Dashboards
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Our dashboards track South Africa’s HIV and TB response over time.
Explore the indicators, drill into provinces, and download the underlying data.
HIV Dashboard
Explore comprehensive estimates of HIV prevalence, treatment access, and prevention programmes across all nine provinces.
6.1m
On Antiretroviral Treatment
145k
New Infections Per Year
TB Dashboard
How many people are falling ill with tuberculosis, how many of them are diagnosed, and how many lives are lost? Find out.
74%
Treatment Completion Rate
50k
Estimated TB Deaths Per Year
Special Projects
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Why the Northern Cape’s only public cancer doctor for kids left for the private sector
Dr Liezl du Plessis tells Biénne Huisman about the public sector paediatric oncology unit she established in Kimberley, and how a broken system forced her to abandon this dream. She now pursues her passion treating children and teenagers in Pretoria’s private sector.
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The many long journeys to get cancer treatment far from home
The road to cancer treatment in South Africa often involves many encounters with healthcare workers and long journeys far from home. From pink iPhone covers to pink embroidery yarn, and cornstarch, Biénne Huisman hears the stories of people from vast corners of inland South Africa, and beyond, who travelled to Bloemfontein for specialist medical attention…
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Amid the many challenges, there are also “major wins” such as that with cervical cancer
In recent decades, we’ve seen massive advances against several types of cancer. In a still unfolding example, South Africa’s massive HPV vaccination campaign is set to slash cervical cancer rates in the coming decades. Biénne Huisman unpacks the details in part 3 of a Daily Maverick and Spotlight special series on cancer in South Africa.
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Perspectives
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The health department should explain when boys will be considered for HPV vaccination
South Africa’s health department should assess the inclusion of boys in its public human papillomavirus vaccination programme. This assessment, argues Professor Colleen Aldous, should account for the protection boys could gain, the cost of delivering it, and the work still required to reach girls who miss vaccination and women who need cervical screening and treatment.
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We need more public sector doctors, yet many newly qualified doctors can’t get work
South Africa has a healthcare worker crisis. Those in power need to face it and think bigger about how to address it, argues Spotlight editor Marcus Low.
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Who will pay for the palliative care promised in South Africa’s next policy?
As South Africa is piecing together a new policy document on palliative care services for people with life-limiting and life-threatening illness, Motlalentoa Motsoane argues that making people’s lives better will depend on details like accurate costing, sufficient funding, and effective referral systems.
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