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A rare group of patients across the globe is ageing at an astonishing rate. The secret to why is in their genes — and understanding it could shape the way we age.

Ageing and the secrets of our genes

A rare condition has caused this man’s body to age at super speed. Why?
Codeine products are available over the counter in South Africa. But codeine is addictive and the products can be abused.

Is codeine Africa’s drug of choice?

Common cough, flu and pain medicines can be addictive. Codeine addiction is an increasingly well-known problem in South Africa.
Impressed: Researcher Ché Makanjee is counselled before his HIV test at Charlotte Maxeke hospital.

Private sector lags in HIV testing

Government facilities are trumping their larnier colleagues in providing HIV services.
Imagine this: A team of 15 neuroscientists is to get R900-million in start-up funding for a project that could find a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's

There’s gold at the end of the Brainbow

An ambitious project to map the human brain has vast medical potential – if it's possible.
Scans have been used to compare brain activity between people who took psilocybin

Therapists test psychedelic chaos to cure depression and addiction

Psychiatrists have since turned to antidepressants, mood stabilisers and antipsychotics that aren’t curative.
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Hell is 16 000 unanswered telephones. The low tech problem blocking abortions

Abortion services only got a national “how to” document for doctors 23 years after termination of pregnancy was legalised in South Africa. And while the new rules go a long way to remove barriers to ending a pregnancy, non-profits say crucial information such as a simple list of telephone numbers is still lacking.
Less than half of designated public abortion clinics actually provide the service. Here's how we know that.

#SizaMap: Find a safe, legal abortion near you with this list of designated providers

Until now, the national and provincial health departments have not been able to say where services are provided. Here's how we found them.
Crack down: Poor implementation of the health department's policy on foreigners' rights to healthcare results in the neglect of many emergencies

Foreign mom’s neglect turns fatal

Nurses and doctors are 'forced' to treat non-residents, but such care is too often perilous.
Cotlands offers a fantasy classroom to children where they can express themselves and develop their imagination.

#AIDS2016: Children’s hospice becomes place of hope in the era of HIV treatment

ARVs have transformed Cotlands hospice from a place for the dying into a childcare centre where the living thrive.
When kids at risk of suicide can talk to trained friends & family, they're seven times less likely to die, says one of the world's largest studies. (Madelene Cronje)

How one project is finally helping reduce the risk of suicide among teens

When kids at risk of suicide can talk to trained friends & family, they're seven times less likely to die, says one of the world's largest studies.
Choose whole-grain breads to help keep your child fuller for longer.

How to pack the best lunch for your kids in five easy steps

Not up to the daily dilemma of what to pack your little ones for lunch? Beef up your children’s lunch boxes with these quick tips.
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‘An African man like me depressed?’ Why representation matters in the movies

The continent’s largest film industry has been getting mental health all wrong with dangerous consequences. Now, that’s changing.
Eddie Mhlanga is one of the authors of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act.

#SliceOfLife: ‘I opened her up and found her womb was rotten from the infection’

Obstetrician Eddie Mhlanga often had to attend to women who had unsafe abortions during apartheid, when abortion was illegal in South Africa.
South Africa’s rolled out the world’s first pill-popping ATMs. Now what?

How to get South Africans to buy into the next big thing in medicine

These ATMs can decrease the number of patients in clinics but health workers are not helping to achieve that goal.
Girls carry bottled water in Maputo

Could this be the second major city on the verge of a ‘day zero’?

Taps in capital city of Maputo being turned off every other day as climate change exacerbates southern African drought.
The youngest daughter of Samantha Benjamin* is HIV positive because her mother didn’t seek medical help.

Ignoring prenatal HIV care leads to a lifelong burden

Mothers blame themselves and their children can never give up their antiretrovirals.