Waiting is not an option in the first 1000 days: How a shared approach in Cape Town helps high-risk babies

Waiting is not an option in the first 1000 days: How a shared approach in Cape Town helps high-risk babies

South Africa’s health department is overhauling its framework for disability services. It prompts an important question: When it comes to Cerebral Palsy – a wide-ranging motor disorder with possible comorbidities – what could a standardised package of baby care look like, especially within an overburdened public health system? Spotlight explores a collaborative approach in Cape Town aimed at optimising development during the critical first 1 000 days of life.

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From the heart of the Winelands, Pebbles Kitchen is helping fill many young tummies with nutritious meals

From the heart of the Winelands, Pebbles Kitchen is helping fill many young tummies with nutritious meals

Despite the country’s relative wealth, South Africa has shockingly high levels of childhood malnutrition and stunting. Biénne Huisman spends some time with a small team who have made it their business to bring solutions to the table and to get nutritious meals to the kids of farm workers in the Western Cape.

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How a Cape Town mother gave birth to ‘miracle baby’ who grew outside her womb

How a Cape Town mother gave birth to ‘miracle baby’ who grew outside her womb

Joshua was safely delivered from Sylvia’s belly instead of her uterus one year ago. Biénne Huisman meets mother and baby, and hears from some of the healthcare professionals involved in the remarkable outcome.

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Thousands of kids with HIV switched to newer treatment

Thousands of kids with HIV switched to newer treatment

A child-friendly formulation of the antiretroviral drug dolutegravir was first included in the country’s HIV treatment guidelines in 2023. New estimates suggest that most children aged one to four living with HIV have now been switched to the drug, reports Elri Voigt.

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Government is considering providing a vaccine to protect babies from RSV

Government is considering providing a vaccine to protect babies from RSV

A new respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to protect infants from severe illness is available in South Africa’s private sector but not yet in public clinics. The country’s advisory group on immunisations has recommended making it available to all pregnant women. Catherine Tomlinson reports that this proposal is now under review by the National Department of Health.

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Antibiotic resistance is putting SA’s newborns at risk

Antibiotic resistance is putting SA’s newborns at risk

Experts say bacterial infections are responsible for more infant deaths than is generally recognised, and things may get worse as more of the bugs become resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Sue Segar asked local experts about this growing threat to newborns.

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What does it mean for health? SAMRC experts weigh in on budget 2025

What does it mean for health? SAMRC experts weigh in on budget 2025

While the 2025 national budget boosts health spending, researchers from the South African Medical Research Council stress the need for strong accountability measures. They also raise concerns about rising VAT and omissions related to US funding cuts and climate change.

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Gauteng MEC threatens schoolgirls’ bodily autonomy with compulsory implant

Gauteng MEC threatens schoolgirls’ bodily autonomy with compulsory implant

The bodily autonomy of young women and girls is under threat as Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko intends to make the contraceptive implanon compulsory for learners as long as their parents consent. This approach to addressing teenage pregnancy is misguided and unlawful, argues Khuselwa Dyantyi. 

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New Western Cape health MEC Mireille Wenger says child health is near her heart

New Western Cape health MEC Mireille Wenger says child health is near her heart

Mireille Wenger was recently appointed to the Western Cape’s top health job. Biénne Huisman chatted to Wenger about health policy, child health, and the challenge of providing quality public health services at a time of shrinking budgets.

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Childhood vaccine coverage in SA declined in 2023, finds WHO report

Childhood vaccine coverage in SA declined in 2023, finds WHO report

New data from the World Health Organization and UNICEF show that globally childhood immunisation coverage stalled in 2023, while in South Africa it decreased. Elri Voigt unpacks the new data and asks local experts to put it in context.

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How ‘NHI on wheels’ is bringing life-changing healthcare to young people in rural Eastern Cape

How ‘NHI on wheels’ is bringing life-changing healthcare to young people in rural Eastern Cape

The Keready project uses mobile clinics to take healthcare services to rural areas. Sue Segar spent time with the project as they took eye, dental, and other healthcare services to communities in the Eastern Cape.

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HPV vaccination switching to single-dose and private schools to get government supply

HPV vaccination switching to single-dose and private schools to get government supply

A decade into South Africa’s HPV vaccination programme, the health department is switching from a two-dose to a single dose vaccine regimen and girls in private schools are set to start receiving government subsidised jabs. The vaccine provided, GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix, will remain the same. The move is backed by evidence showing one-dose regimens provide similar protection against HPV infection as multi-dose regimens. Catherine Tomlinson reports.

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