insert_link Africa South Africa’s crucial water supplies from Lesotho: what the six-month shutdown means for industry, farming and residents By Ifedotun Aina, University of Cape Town The main water supply to South Africa’s economic hub, greater Johannesburg in the Gauteng province, and to the country’s breadbasket in the Free State, is scheduled to be cut off for six months. Maintenance work on the 37 kilometre Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel is due to begin in October 2024. Ifedotun Victor Aina, a senior researcher at the Water […] todayApril 8, 2024 27
insert_link Health / Medical New TB skin test could offer cheaper and easier way to detect the disease By Yvette Naudé, University of Pretoria Detecting tuberculosis early could play a significant role in eradicating the world’s most deadly infectious disease. The World Health Organization says 1.5 million people die from this devastating disease each year. People infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the TB bacteria that attack the lungs, often do not know that they have it until their symptoms become severe. Two out of every […] todayMarch 28, 2024 42
insert_link Environment Venomous snakes could start migrating in large numbers if we hit 5ºC warming By Pablo Ariel Martinez, Universidade Federal de Sergipe A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into account climate change predictions about changes to the current habitats of 209 venomous snakes, and mapped where those environments were found elsewhere. Based on this, they predict that snakes were likely to migrate […] todayMarch 28, 2024 85
insert_link Lifestyle Zulu culture and sexual orientation: South African study reveals the health costs of stigma By Ikekhwa Albert Ikhile, University of South Africa Same-sex relationships are legal in South Africa and protected by the constitution. Unfair discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is against the law. But in practice many cultures don’t necessarily see this as a right. Traditional Zulu culture, for example, perceives same-sex relationships and sexual intercourse as taboo and unAfrican. Statements like “real men are not gay” […] todayMarch 27, 2024 39
insert_link Health / Medical Medical science has made great strides in fighting TB, but reducing poverty is the best way to end this disease By Tom Nyirenda, Stellenbosch University Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis. Even though the disease is both preventable and curable, it kills 1.5 million people each year, making it the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Over 25% of these deaths occur in African countries. The World Health Organization has developed a strategy to reduce TB deaths by 95% by 2035. It’s a monumental task. […] todayMarch 26, 2024 21
insert_link Environment Bird flu: what is it, how does it spread and how can we protect ourselves from it? By Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu, University of Ibadan There has been an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. The viral disease, also called avian influenza, killed 441 chickens out of a flock of 641 on a farm. There have been several outbreaks bird flu across Africa over the past 18 years. Nigeria was the first African country to report an outbreak in February 2006. […] todayMarch 25, 2024 16
insert_link Health / Medical Namibia sees HIV reduction between 2018 and 2022 With the number of HIV cases having decreased between 2018 and 2022, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is targeting to end AIDS as a public threat in Namibia. Here is Executive Director Ben Nangombe with more. todayMarch 14, 2024 50
insert_link Namibia Break Free anti-violence campaign launches mental health talk The Break Free Anti-Violence campaign, initiated in 2017 under the leadership of the Former First Lady, Madame Monica Geingos, and the One Economy Foundation, aims to raise awareness about various forms of violence and provide practical solutions to reduce its prevalence. Tomorrow, on the 15th of March, a mental health conversation will take place at the Nampower Convention Centre. Pefimbo Shipunda a senior social worker at One Economy Foundation, has […] todayMarch 14, 2024 64
insert_link Health / Medical Why do we usually sleep at night? What happens when we don’t sleep? Expert insights into this essential part of our lives By Karine Scheuermaier, University of the Witwatersrand; Alison Bentley, University of the Witwatersrand; Dale Rae, University of Cape Town; Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive Casas, University of the Witwatersrand; Gosia Lipinska, University of Cape Town; Jonathan Davy, Rhodes University; Joshua Davimes, University of the Witwatersrand; Nomathemba Chandiwana, University of the Witwatersrand, and Oluwatosin Olorunmoteni, Obafemi Awolowo University Sleep is as essential to our health as food and water. It […] todayMarch 14, 2024 22