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Over a million SAs have used the HIV prevention pill

More than a million public healthcare users in South Africa had started to use the HIV prevention pill by the end of May, with over half doing so in the past two years, health department data shows. But what must we do to make the pill — and a two-monthly HIV prevention injection — easier to get?

What HIV does to your brain — and how ARVs halt that

Left untreated, an HIV infection can cause inflammation in someone’s brain and lead to mental health problems. But antiretrovirals can stop it from happening. Mia Malan finds out how it works in this Health Beat interview.

[LISTEN] The anti-HIV jab is coming to SA. Find out when and how

Towards the end of the year, donated batches of the anti-HIV jab, CAB-LA, will arrive in South Africa. The two-monthly jab will be used in implementation trials and virtually wipes out someone’s chances of contracting HIV through sex. How much will donors and the South African health department have to pay for such injections and can the drugmaker, ViiV Healthcare, make enough of them? In this podcast, Mia Malan asks Mitchell Warren, who leads a group of organisations and donors who look at ways to make the jab available as fast as possible, for answers.

[WATCH] How anti-cervical cancer jabs work

Most cervical cancer cases are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which spreads through sex. Anti-HPV injections have been around since 2006 and getting the jab as a teenager can stop cervical cancer in about nine out of 10 women later in life. We break down how they work, what they cost and why they save lives.

Health Beat #12 | How to cope with taking HIV meds for life

People with HIV get depressed more often than those without the virus. This can make it hard to take their daily, lifelong medication correctly. In this Health Beat episode, we visit someone who has been taking ARVs for 22 years and ask experts if allowing nurses to prescribe antidepressants would help.

[WATCH] Yvette Raphael’s incredible journey of two decades with HIV

South Africa’s HIV plan says nurses, not just doctors, should be able to prescribe antidepressants. HIV-positive people struggle with their mental health more than those without the virus. But is this plan enough to help them stick to their daily pill regimens? This activist says no. Watch her story to find out why.

[WATCH] This nurse wants to stop cervical cancer in Hammanskraal

Nurse Tebogo Seleka does about 100 cervical cancer tests a month. One in ten patients test positive. This could be avoided if they were vaccinated against the human papillomavirus which causes this cancer. Our TV team travels to Hammanskraal near Tshwane to find out how Seleka is using jabs to stop cervical cancer in her community.

[WATCH] How Tshwane’s water is cleaned

How much water is in 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools? The same volume as what runs through Tshwane’s Rietvlei water treatment plant’s processes before it reaches household taps. Eunice Mokoena, a lead engineer at the facility, takes you on a tour via our TV team.

[WATCH] How to use pills to prevent TB

New guidelines from the health department say anti-TB pills are now available to anyone who’s had long contact with someone who is sick with TB, to stop them from falling ill too. Here’s how it works.

Why your toilet water is turned into drinking water — and which provinces get...

Is the water in your tap safe? What about cleaning that in storage tanks? In this Health Beat interview, Mia Malan speaks to environmental scientist Ayesha Laher about the state of South Africa’s water systems, how you can test your water for germs and what you should do if your water isn’t clean.

[VIDEO] Why this community is fed up with pollution in the Vaal River

The Emfuleni local municipality needs over R600-million to fix its broken wastewater plants. An activist in one township worries that cholera may spread because people can’t afford the soap needed to stay safe. In this Health Beat episode, we take you to Bophelong, a township south of Johannesburg, and show you what dirty water does to people's health.

‘It’s bleak’: What a future with dirty water looks like

As extreme weather events such as storms and floods linked to climate change disrupt water and sanitation systems, we can expect to see diseases like cholera, which spread through dirty water, pop up more often — and affect more people. In this interview for Bhekisisa’s monthly TV show, Health Beat, Mia Malan spoke to infectious diseases expert Tom Boyles about the link between climate change and disease outbreaks.

[WATCH] Why transgender folks, gay and bisexual men have a higher chance of getting...

Men who have sex with men have a 28 times higher chance of getting HIV through sex than heterosexual men. And transgender women’s odds of getting HIV via sex is 14 times higher than non-transgender women. We break down why.

Should nurses be allowed to hand out psychiatric drugs?

People with HIV have a big chance of battling with mental health problems. At the moment though, only doctors can prescribe psychiatric medicines. Could getting nurses to do this too help people with HIV to stay on their treatment, and so get infection rates down? Mia Malan finds out from a doctor who’s lived through HIV with his patients for the past 20 years.

Why climate change is the biggest threat to health this century

The world is in a polycrisis — and climate change will highlight vulnerabilities and inequalities in healthcare. We need to understand how changing weather patterns will affect our health and draw on lessons from past research to help us become more resilient. Here’s what experts said at Bhekisisa’s 10th birthday celebration on Tuesday, 7 November.

#BhekisisaDiaries: Why Zano Kunene writes rugby stories

From the pitch to print, health reporter Zano Kunene takes you on the journey of how his passion for sports led to writing on sports-related brain injuries.