Opinion: Health budget slashed despite vaccine commitments

Posted in: Latest

The national budget tabled this week shows that planned spending on public health is reduced by a massive R50.3 billion over the next three years. We cannot accept a vaccine versus health system trade-off. Government must both expedite the procurement of vaccines and ensure that provinces have the staff and other capabilities to rapidly roll them out and to maintain and improve the quality of healthcare services, argue writers from SECTION27.

Opinion: Health budget slashed despite vaccine commitments

Analysis: What can SA do about the ‘slow violence’ of child hunger and malnutrition?

Posted in: Child health, Latest

The 2020 edition of the South African Child Gauge released last week once again placed the spotlight on the country’s child hunger and nutrition crisis. Various specifics in the new budget being presented in parliament today will tell us how committed government is in addressing this crisis, writes Kathryn Cleary.

Analysis: What can SA do about the ‘slow violence’ of child hunger and malnutrition?

Face to face with Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman

Posted in: Latest

Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has declined social media calls that he be nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Bienne Huisman spoke to Sooliman about the organisation’s work during the pandemic, his background, and what keeps him going.

Face to face with Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman

Rolling out the vaccine: Provincial plans compared

Posted in: Latest

Provinces manage the day-to-day running of the public healthcare system in South Africa and provinces will be responsible for the massive logistical effort of getting COVID-19 vaccines from fridges and depots into people’s arms. Elri Voigt has been keeping track of the nine provinces’ plans.

Rolling out the vaccine: Provincial plans compared

Medical oxygen: The fascinating journey of a life-saving gas

Posted in: Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

Even in ‘normal’ times a reliable supply of medical oxygen is an essential part of healthcare services, but during COVID-19 surges the need for this life-sustaining gas has spiked to unprecedented levels. Tiyese Jeranji explores the fascinating science and engineering that facilitates this substance’s long journey from a production plant to a person’s lungs.

Medical oxygen: The fascinating journey of a life-saving gas

COVID-19 in kids: What have we learnt one year later?

Posted in: Latest

It has been over a year since the world saw the first confirmed case of COVID-19, yet the science behind the virus’ physical impact on children remains relatively unclear. Kathryn Cleary spoke to two experts in paediatrics and immunology to get an update on what we have learnt so far.

COVID-19 in kids: What have we learnt one year later?

Eastern Cape: Questions over vaccine readiness in rural areas

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Latest, Provinces

The shortcomings of healthcare services in the rural Eastern Cape is well documented. Now, with provinces gearing up for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Luvuyo Mehlwana asked local health activists and government leaders about the rollout plan for rural communities in the province.

Eastern Cape: Questions over vaccine readiness in rural areas

Opinion: Pivot to J&J vaccine makes sense in light of new findings

Posted in: Latest

Government deserves criticism for various aspects of its COVID-19 response, but some social media criticism following Sunday’s announcement that the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine has little or no efficacy in preventing mild-to-moderate disease caused by the 501Y.V2 variant has been unfair, writes Marcus Low.

Opinion: Pivot to J&J vaccine makes sense in light of new findings

COVID-19: Will the right people get the vaccine first in SA?

Posted in: Latest

While local experts generally welcome the order in which vaccines will be provided to different categories of people in South Africa, they are concerned that some practical nuances are unclear. Elna Schütz reports.

COVID-19: Will the right people get the vaccine first in SA?

Why broadly neutralising antibodies might be the next big thing in HIV

Posted in: HIV/AIDS, Latest

We know antiretroviral therapy can prevent HIV infection, but can natural biological substances do the same? The results of a recent scientific trial have answered this question: Yes, using broadly neutralising antibodies. But what are broadly neutralising antibodies? How do they work? And when will the average person get access to them? Amy Green breaks down the science.

Why broadly neutralising antibodies might be the next big thing in HIV

Tens of thousands of people with TB in SA not diagnosed, survey

Posted in: Latest

Over 150 000 people who had TB in South Africa in 2018 were not diagnosed, according to findings from South Africa’s long-awaited National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey. One reason for this is that an unexpectedly high number of people do not show the typical TB symptoms and are never x-rayed. Amy Green reports.

Tens of thousands of people with TB in SA not diagnosed, survey

COVID-19: Local researchers welcome Sputnik V vaccine findings

Posted in: Latest

Local researchers have welcomed impressive phase III findings for the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine published this week in the Lancet medical journal. It is the sixth COVID-19 vaccine found to be effective in preliminary data from a phase III randomised controlled trial and the fourth to have phase III findings published in a leading medical journal.