Could rural students solve SA’s doctor dilemma?
South Africa is training more doctors than ever but there isn’t enough money to employ them, leaving about 14% of hospital posts for doctors vacant while 20% of doctor positions at clinics were empty in 2021 as well.
Would you swap your antidepressant for a mushroom?
The active ingredient in magic mushrooms could help treat depression in people who have had no success with traditional treatments.
Burn them — Here’s what happens to expired COVID vaccines
Vaccines don’t last forever. When they reach their expiration date, the jabs need to be disposed of in a way that ensures they aren’t retrievable. A waste management company explains how this is done.
Four ways SA’s latest COVID surge is different
There are still some COVID figures that people can use to gauge when to mask up or avoid large crowds to decrease their risk of catching the virus.
What the latest COVID stats can tell us – and what they can’t
COVID figures have never captured the full extent of the pandemic, but such numbers are becoming even less useful since fewer people are testing.
COVID, skin contact & kangaroos: How SA’s hospital rules are adapting
Policies to stop the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa have had a negative impact on maternal and newborn health care.
Starving in the city: Why SA’s richest province is hungry
South Africa’s Constitution makes food a human right, but 11% of the country’s people are hungry. Here’s why.
Here’s what will happen in SA if the US reverses abortion rights
In the United States, the end of national abortion rights could be closer than we think. In South Africa, laws to permit terminations don’t have to be in trouble – people struggle to get abortions anyway.
The gag rule, God and other reasons women struggle to access contraceptive services
Unintended pregnancy rates of women aged 15 to 49 years are nearly three times higher in Africa than in Europe or North America. Here are some of the reasons why.
HIV prevention should be like fast food. This data shows why
KwaZulu-Natal’s state facilities are in the lead when it comes to stocking HIV prevention medicines (97% of them do), and the Western Cape is last in line at 8%. But, the home of the Mother City is the only province in which men use HIV prevention medicine more than women.
Did you see your psychologist over Zoom during lockdown? Telemedicine is here to stay
COVID-19 lockdown restrictions meant many therapist offices had to close and cancel in-person appointments. But doctors were able to use videoconferencing to support patients who got anxious, stressed out and depressed.
Social media or social anxiety? How online platforms can harm our kids
Social media can be good and bad for children. But the bad can get ugly, though. Some children suffer serious symptoms such as anxiety and attention issues as well. The solutions are simple and cheap, researchers say.
Counting calories or carcinogens? How to pick the fake sugar in your tea
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are found in many common foods and drinks, but a new study shows that these food additives could contribute to an increased risk of developing different kinds of cancers.
No shoes allowed: Why it’s best to go bare indoors
About a third of the dust in your home is carried in on the soles of people’s shoes, and some of it can be bad for people, such as microplastics or poisonous substances like lead. The solution is pretty simple and the science is clear-cut. Leave your shoes outside.
A sin tax on vapes is not as bad as Aids denialism. Here’s why
Lobbyists pushing for vaping as a way to help people quit smoking insist taxing e-cigarettes like traditional smokes will lead down a similar path as the state-sanctioned project of denying HIV treatment to state patients.
The transparency tightrope: Why regulators are being taken to court over Pfizer’s COVID vaccine
Both the United States’s and South Africa’s medicines regulators have faced legal challenges with regards to the information used to review and approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. But the rules that bind the two government bodies are different — as is the amount of information they can share.