Timothy Lebelwane of Diepsloot is one of 2 000 people in South Africa participating in a COVID-19 vaccine trial spearheaded by Wits University. Biénne Huisman spoke to him about life as a participant in such an important vaccine trial.
Stigma and discrimination makes accessing healthcare services hard for many young people living with HIV. Has it become even harder during the COVID-19 pandemic? Nomfundo Xolo spoke to young people and activists in KwaZulu-Natal.
To single out a disease through specific laws or existing prosecution mechanisms places an unreasonable burden on the criminal justice system to address people’s behaviour. Our experience with HIV points to a better approach, argues Mbalenhle Baduza.
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in KwaZulu-Natal increases, provincial health authorities, health practitioners and public health activists urge residents to avoid the spread of misinformation fuelling stigma around COVID-19. Nomfundo Xolo investigates.
As the country intensifies its efforts to curb COVID-19 through mass screening and testing, stigma in some communities threatens to derail these efforts. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports on the situation in the Eastern Cape.
“A few weeks ago we lost Prudence Mbele, a beloved long-time activist living openly with HIV, who died of TB. Prudence was famous for her ‘pill holidays’ – a big no-no in HIV-land, as it leads to further immune damage. The idea of someone stopping their life-saving tablets – even temporarily – boggles the minds of most health providers. Her death triggered an intense media and Facebook/Twitter reaction, filled both with criticism at her choices as well as empathy, as people shared their own hard stories about taking antiretrovirals. Professor Francois Venter writes for Spotlight about the difficulties of taking pills for the rest of your life and dealing with the mental health issues relating to illness.
