Women in Health: Francesca Conradie – from HIV to groundbreaking TB research

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 14: Tuberculosis, Edition 7: TB, HIV/AIDS, Latest

Dr Francesca Conradie knew she wanted to be a doctor when she was eight years old. Now, 50 years later, she is a pioneer in the field of tuberculosis (TB) and led a landmark trial that changed how drug-resistant TB is treated. Aisha Abdool Karim spoke to her about the reasons behind her switch from HIV research to TB, her initial surprise at the remarkable NiX trial results, and the man who has shaped her life – her father.

Women in Health: Francesca Conradie – from HIV to groundbreaking TB research

Women in Health: “I don’t like seeing anybody treated unfairly” – new leader of HIV Clinicians Society

Posted in: Edition 9: State of HIV, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, HIV/AIDS, Latest

Juliet Houghton was recently appointed as the CEO of the Southern African HIV Clinician’s Society (SAHCS). As part of Spotlight’s Women in Health series, Bienne Huisman spoke to her about her life working in HIV, her new role at the SAHCS, the importance of being able to laugh, and the Shakespearian origins of her name.

Spotlight on HIV: Six graphs that tell the story

Posted in: COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, Latest

In 2021, HIV was successfully suppressed in the bodies of around 63% of the close to eight million people living with HIV in South Africa. This is according to recent outputs from Thembisa, the leading mathematical model of HIV in South Africa. With the help of some graphs, Spotlight editor Marcus Low unpacks this and other key model outputs.

Spotlight on HIV: Six graphs that tell the story

Are youth-only clinics the answer to better healthcare for young people?

Posted in: Child health, Edition 6: HIV & teens, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Reproductive Health, SRHR

Special youth clinics appear to be an effective means of providing healthcare services to young people who otherwise might not engage with healthcare services. But is building more youth clinics realistic given our resource constraints, or is it better to focus on making ‘normal’ clinics more youth-friendly – or should we be looking beyond clinic-based healthcare services altogether? Tiyese Jeranji investigates.

Are youth-only clinics the answer to better healthcare for young people?

Over 3million people on new HIV drug, but not all smooth sailing

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest

In 2019, the Department of Health started providing the antiretroviral drug dolutegravir as part of HIV treatment in the public sector. Three years later, close to 3.2 million people in South Africa are taking dolutegravir every day. Even so, the rollout of dolutegravir hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Elri Voigt investigates how the massive undertaking of switching millions of people to a new drug has gone.

Over 3million people on new HIV drug, but not all smooth sailing

Editorial: How do we make an HIV and TB plan that has greater impact?

Posted in: Edition 8: NSP in general, Edition 9: State of HIV, Editorial, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, NSP and SANAC

South Africa’s new National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB, and STIs is being developed this year. Spotlight editor Marcus Low asks what we should aim for in the new strategy and how we should go about developing it.

Editorial: How do we make an HIV and TB plan that has greater impact?

In-depth: SA company gearing up to make API

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Latest, Science

While various medicines are produced in South Africa, the active pharmaceutical ingredients going into these medicines are mostly still imported. Catherine Tomlinson reports on a local company that is trying to change that – starting with active pharmaceutical ingredients for tuberculosis and COVID-19 medicines.

In-depth: SA company gearing up to make API

IN PICTURES: Two decades of HIV in South Africa

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest

We reflect in pictures South Africa’s journey in the struggle against HIV since 2000.

IN PICTURES: Two decades of HIV in South Africa

Forty years on, HIV still taking a toll on young people

Posted in: HIV/AIDS, Latest

“Driving a fast car”; “getting the top three letters”; or “playing the lotto” – nearly 40 years from when HIV was first described, the virus is still a thing of euphemism and stigma. It’s also still infecting at least 4 000 people a day around the world, most of them young people, especially girls and young women. Ufrieda Ho reports.

Forty years on, HIV still taking a toll on young people

Are two medicines instead of three the future of HIV treatment?

Posted in: HIV/AIDS, Latest

One of the biggest breakthroughs in HIV treatment in the 1990s came when three different antiretrovirals were used together, suppressing viral replication in multiple ways and preventing the development of drug resistance. Now, trials are showing that certain combinations of just two antiretrovirals might be as good as three, potentially bringing an end to a quarter of a century of triple therapy dominance. Elri Voigt reports.

Are two medicines instead of three the future of HIV treatment?

Opinion: We should make it much easier for people to start and stay on HIV treatment

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest

The top priority in our HIV programme should be to make it as easy as possible for people to start and stay on treatment. Yet, as a number of provincial reports released this year by community monitoring group Ritshidze have shown, there are many healthcare system factors that work directly against this objective. Spotlight editor Marcus Low considers some of the potential solutions.

Opinion: We should make it much easier for people to start and stay on HIV treatment

Eastern Cape health services hamstrung by staff and medicine shortages, report finds

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Provinces

Findings of a clinic monitoring report released last week, again highlighted how delivery of health services in the Eastern Cape are hamstrung by staff and medicine shortages. Luvuyo Mehlwana unpacks the data and the provincial health department’s plans to address the challenges identified in the report.