HIV infection rate in babies drops in Gauteng

The HIV infection rate in newborn babies has decreased by more than half in Gauteng, says the provincial Department of Health and Social Development. 4 Apr 2012 08:33

Government brings safe drinking water to Mbashe area

The Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, and the Executive Mayor of the Amathole District Municipality, Nomasikizi Konza, launched the Accelerating Sustainable Water Services Delivery project on 30 March 2012, in Mbelu, Eastern Cape. 3 Apr 2012 11:53

R1m Dettol donation helps establish Centre of Childhood Infectious Diseases

Dettol South Africa this week donated R1m towards the building of a Centre for Childhood Infectious Diseases at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. Globally, approximately 21 000 children under the age of five died every day in 2010, equating to 7.6 million [1] children or more than 20 deaths every five seconds. In South Africa, 5.7% of all live births [2], or one in every 17 newborns, resulted in death in 2010. 30 Mar 2012 12:15

Travelling? Make sure you have insurance

[Hanri Pretorius] When you're planning an overseas holiday, insurance is usually the last thing on your mind: but travelling without proper insurance can leave you and your family destitute if anything happens. 19 Mar 2012 06:33

Confusion over SA, Swiss drugs deal

It was unclear if government had formed a R1.6bn deal with Swiss pharmaceutical giant Lonza to establish the manufacturing of critical drug components, as the company issued a statement saying that talks were still at an early stage. 13 Feb 2012 12:00

Risk of waterborne diseases grows in rural areas of Zimbabwe

Mhondoro is a farm settlement about 45km southwest of the Zimbabwean capital Harare. Two children, two-year-old twins, splash about in a pool of greenish water close to their mother's hut. 4 Jan 2012 06:52

Nighttime images help track disease from the sky

Normally used to spot where people live, satellite images of nighttime lights can help keep tabs on the diseases festering among them, too, according to new research. 12 Dec 2011 12:50

Bristol researchers to help tackle the global problem of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance has become an escalating health issue that threatens our ability to control bacterial infections. To help tackle this global health problem an international collaboration, comprising researchers from the UK and Canada, has been awarded around £4.5 million to develop new strategies for treating 'superbugs'. 28 Nov 2011 13:15

Wits scientists working to neutralise HIV

Professor Caroline Tiemessen is attempting to understand why some individuals - referred to as elite controllers - are able to be HIV infected, but successfully suppress virus replication to undetectable levels. This is according to a report published on allAfrica.com. 14 Nov 2011 13:18

Could social media be used to detect disease outbreaks?

New research has looked at whether social media could be used to track an event or phenomenon, such as flu outbreaks and rainfall rates. 7 Nov 2011 13:20

Non-communicable diseases: Africa must 'spend a lot more'

BERLIN, GERMANY: According to scidev.net, Olive Shisana, CEO of the South African Human Sciences Research Council, said at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany that infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, are expected to decline while non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, will increase in Africa over the coming decades. 4 Nov 2011 11:47

New test can precisely pinpoint food pathogens

ITHACA, NY, USA: With salmonella-tainted ground turkey sickening more than 100 people and listeria-contaminated cantaloupes killing 15 this year, the ability to detect outbreaks of food-borne illness and determine their sources has become a top public health priority. 27 Oct 2011 10:03

Comparing apples with pears - the SA pharmaceutical market is not the same as the US one!

[Alexis Apostolidis] A recent report by the American Federal Trade Commission ("FTC", the equivalent to South Africa's competition authorities) on the short and long-term effects of authorised generics sparked an article in the Business Report on Friday, 14 October- "Delay in generics robbing SA's sick". An authorised generic is an approved brand name drug marketed as a generic. 20 Oct 2011 09:19

Young people having more unprotected sex

LONDON: The number of young people having unprotected sex in the West has risen sharply over the past two years, a survey said on Monday (26 September 2011), with health professionals concerned the safe sex message is falling on deaf ears. 28 Sep 2011 14:19