Public Health

Living with lupus can be life threatening. Research has shown that this chronic illness mainly targets women, which can result to long-term effects like body organ or pregnancy problems. Sibongile Komati reflects on when she found out that…

All South African medical interns and community service doctors who were eligible for placement have finally been allocated and offered placement, according to a statement by the department of health (DoH) on 18 May. However, there are…

I make it a point to tell anyone I date that I once had a partner that died of AIDS. So many loved ones have lost their lives because of the stigma attached to HIV, and I refuse to enter into a relationship with someone who carries those…

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), or commonly known as lupus, is a chronic disease that mainly affects women, causing severe effects which can lead to death. Mainly targeting young and middle-aged women of colour, the lifelong threatening…

Reports by various publications on a study by the Skin and Hair Research Laboratory at the University of Cape Town, which said that barber hair clippers can transmit HIV and Hepatitis B, have been refuted by medical experts. Various…

South Africa is one of the many countries facing an HIV/Aids pandemic with a prevalence rate of about 12.8% of the total of the South African population. According to Statistics South Africa  more than seven million South Africans are…

Women in KwaZulu Natal have expressed concerns over shortage of injectable contraceptives from local clinics. This, after they had been turned away and told to try pharmacies or private doctors to access the contraceptives; or opt out for…

The department of health in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday unveiled 15 new cervical cancer machine to help reduce the waiting periods for cervical cancer treatment in the province. Speaking at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, the…

On Monday, 26 March, the KwaZulu-Natal member of the executive council (MEC) for health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo held a prayer meeting in Addington Hospital, Durban, in remembrance of all healthcare workers who died tragically from different…

On Thursday thousands braved inclement weather and gathered at the Cato Manor sports ground to be addressed by deputy president David Mabuza and Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in commemoration of World TB Day. Speaking in his first official…

“My love for a challenge and working with people pushed me towards the field of medicine,” says Tanaka Gomba (23) in an interview with The Daily Vox. He was set on studying medicine since he was excelling in biology in grade 11 back in…

The listeriosis outbreak in South Africa has taken the lives of 180 people so far and a further 948 have fallen ill. Last week, the department of health announced that it had traced the source of the outbreak, which is ready-to-eat,…

South Africans are suffering a polony panic. This came after an Enterprise Foods facility in Polokwane, Limpopo was pointed as the ground zero for the listeria outbreak. Enterprise has since recalled their products from the shelves which…

A new Unicef report reveals a horrifying statistic: in lower-income countries, 27 newborns out of every 1 000 die before they are four weeks old. In developed countries, that figure is 3.3 in 1 000. “While we have more than halved the…

South Africa’s second listeriosis outbreak is set to become the worst documented in global history. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), since July 2017 the total number of lives claimed by the bacteria is…

In January, nursing colleges in Gauteng made headlines when it emerged that there would be no intake of first-year bursary students because the department did not have sufficient funds to pay for the students. After students held protests…

Mpho Tshele is a 61-year-old grandmother living in Snake Park, in the heart of Soweto. She looks after her 11-old-grandson, Koketso, who suffers from cerebral palsy (CP). Mpho used to work as a machinist, creating beautiful embroidered…

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) was not pleased when it learnt that Gauteng premier David Makhura, did not attend the #LifeEsidimeni arbitration hearings on Monday morning. TAC, together with other civil organisations, including Sonke…

As the water crisis in the Western Cape reaches increasingly worrying stages, it’s become evident that #DayZero is almost inevitable. As a result of this South Africans have been sharing advice on how to coordinate the change in lifestyle…

The Gauteng department of health has rescinded their decision to stop the intake of first-year bursary nursing students. Prospective nursing students from Chris Hani Baragwanath, Ann Latsky and SG Lourens nursing colleges had staged a…