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Inequality didn’t rise from hell: It’s man-made — and there’s nothing like a pandemic...
Why do pandemics such as Aids not automatically end when we have the medicine to control them? Because they play out in a world where inequality frequently prevents drugs from reaching the people who need it most, writes Mia Malan.
Why treasury won’t support a fall in the tampon tax
Pontsho Pilane recently presented a proposal to Parliament to introduce free pads for poor people who menstruate. Here’s what she learned.
Free pads versus free condoms: Why we can’t afford this debate
Why the debate misses the very gendered point in a country where people with uteruses remain disproportionally affected by HIV.
How to get ARVs delivered to your home in the rural Eastern Cape
In South Africa’s rural areas, people often face a long, arduous journey to get to a clinic where they can pick up their HIV medicines. Not taking the drugs regularly will mean that the person’s health suffers, which can make it even harder to make the trip. The Bulungula Incubator in the rural Eastern Cape has figured out how to set up a medicine pick-up point closer to people’s homes.
4 ways to make it easy to take the HIV prevention pill
The Aurum Institute is making it easier for people to access HIV prevention medication.Their project includes a screening tool and support groups, and has already reached over 100 000 people.
An inconvenient truth: The real reason why Africa is not getting vaccinated
Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer have said low vaccine uptake in Africa is due to increasing hesitancy on the continent. But the truth is inequitable distribution of COVID vaccines have left Africa as a vaccine desert.
EFF’s Julius Malema loses extra kilos and the fat cats jeer
Speculation swirled around Malema after he dropped extra kilos, showing dangerous associations between being thin and being sick still plague Africa.
The forgotten form of TB that can carry on forever
Just like with COVID, there’s a long version of TB, called post-TB lung disease. This condition can emerge even after people with TB have finished their courses of treatment.
A junior doctor’s battle to keep death at bay for state patients
One in four South African medical students show signs of depression, and most doctors are at risk of burning out. Read about one state doctor’s road to hell and back again.
Why SA supermarkets should slash the price of these 10 foods by a fifth
The food industry will get a tax break to ease the effects of loadshedding on the cost of groceries. But there’s more that the industry can do to keep a basic basket of foods affordable, writes the head of the DG Murray Trust, David Harrison.
Will the food industry sacrifice its fat profits for health?
South Africa’s growing obesity epidemic won’t be reversed by preaching healthier eating habits and exercise alone; there’s a growing realisation that the food industry needs to change, write David Harrison and Liezel Engelbrecht.
The beauty politic: South Africa’s long and complicated history with skin lighteners
Today, South Africa remains the only country in the world to prohibit all cosmetic claims to skin bleaching, lightening or whitening — and we have a blend of Black Consciousness and science to thank for it. But regulation hasn’t totally snuffed out demand for dangerous creams containing toxic chemicals.
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Finding an HIV vaccine: Five lessons from the search for a COVID jab
The COVID pandemic has revealed that vaccine development and testing timelines can be shrunk from decades to months. But not without its shortcomings. Here’s a look at what lessons we can learn from the search for a COVID jab.
Your A to Z guide on HIV: The top 10 things to know from...
The HIV pandemic isn’t going anywhere until a cure is found. In the meantime, these expert HIV clinicians say South Africa should protect its victories.
This three-legged potjie doesn’t wobble. NHI lessons for deep rural South Africa
For years, this mother in the rural Eastern Cape had to travel across a river and walk for two hours to get to a clinic. Then, her community teamed up with a nonprofit and the provincial health department to change that. These days, the furthest she has to walk to get her newborn to a nurse is five minutes.