COVID-19 may lead to spike in AIDS deaths, warns UNAIDS
Six months more of pandemic-related disruptions could result in a spike of an additional 500 000 AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa alone by the end of next year, warns UNAIDS.
COVID-19: Some chronic patients to be given enough pills for 3 or 4 months
Four provinces have made positive moves to announce that patients on chronic medicines will be able to have their scripts filled for as long as three or four months in order to minimise their exposure to possible COVID-19 infection in public spaces like clinics.
COVID-19: Social distancing includes reducing contact with health facilities for those with chronic conditions
People living with HIV and other chronic conditions should be urgently supported to reduce contact with health facilities both for “social distancing” purposes as well as saving healthcare worker capacity for those with the greatest immediate need, argues Lynne Wilkinson and Anna Grimsrud.
Special investigation: Claims of 90-90-90 success in KZN districts were premature
Last year KwaZulu-Natal celebrated three districts’ achievement of the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. But celebrations may have been premature, as new data shows that no district in KZN in fact met the targets. Spotlight visited one of the districts to investigate.
Nuances in SA’s HIV Epidemic: Seven Graphs that Tell the Story
Over the last decade there have been significant decreases in the rates of new HIV infections, HIV-related deaths, and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) in South Africa. Yet, there are still staggering gaps between different subsets of the population.
SA compares well with US on some HIV metrics
The HIV epidemics in South Africa and the United States are different in important ways, but some key metrics look remarkably similar.
New UNAIDS head visits Soshanguve
The new Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima was in Soshanguve, a township north of Pretoria, on Friday for a clinic visit, a town hall engagement with the local community, and to partake in activities of a new clinic monitoring project.
ANALYSIS: The number one challenge in our HIV response
What is the state of South Africa’s HIV response on World AIDS Day 2019? Marcus Low asks the question and identifies our number one problem in combatting the virus as we head into 2020.
Episode 10: Siphiwe Mhlangana on the Treatment Action Campaign’s treatment literacy work
Host Nomatter Ndebele chats to Siphiwe Mhlangana of the TAC about his treatment literacy work and why treatment literacy still matters.
Episode 7: Lotti Rutter on PEPFAR funding and why we need a People’s COP
Nomatter Ndebele chats to Lotti Rutter of HealthGAP about what the People’s COP is and why it matters.
We are failing young women in South Africa
Thuthukile Mbatha, Guest Editor, Spotlight Note: This is the editorial from a special print edition of Spotlight guest-edited by young people. Every week in South Africa, around two thousand young…
State capture threatens the right to health
State capture and corruption casts a long shadow over all spheres of the public service, including healthcare. For our World AIDS Day edition of Spotlight Mark Heywood takes on this difficult topic. We’re publishing this important article online today ahead of its publication in print.