In 2015 the Millennium Development Goals reached their deadline, with South Africa among the countries that did not meet all of their targets. South Africa’s health system is faced with a number of challenges – the burden of communicable diseases, high HIV infection rates, diseases related to poor diet, and...
By James Thabo Molelekwa. on May 16, 2016 in HIV Prevention, News In Mpumalanga, boys are preparing to head to ‘the mountain’ and return as men. As concerns regarding the safety of some initiation schools mount, a new blend of tradition and medicine may help preserve a centuries-old rite. Mpumalanga Pedi Chief Andries...
South African nurses are particularly valuable, because of their experience with a vast burden of disease. Anyone who has visited a health care facility before will know that interaction with a doctor is limited to a few short minutes and revolves around what is medically wrong. It is most often...
Little things can make a big difference. The mosquito – a tiny insect that spreads one of the most dangerous diseases worldwide – is one example. In fact, it is the even smaller parasites of the genus Plasmodium that live inside the female Anopheles mosquito that cause Malaria. On 25 April,...
March is TB awareness month around the world, and thus a perfect time to reflect on the work that is being done to eradicate TB in South Africa. A key part of the work is partnership – between Government and the people who work with communities to ensure that strategies...
March is Tuberculosis (TB) awareness month around the world. The World Health Organisation has set a target of eradicating TB by 2035. In South Africa, this has particular importance. As of 2013, TB was the number one cause of death in South Africa with 8.8% of all deaths caused by the...
JPS Africa (previously Jhpiego South Africa) is a non-profit organisation registered in South Africa in terms of Section 21 of the Companies Act of 1973 (as amended). JPS Africa currently works on four major projects which share a common goal of increasing access to high-quality HIV and AIDS services in...
Imagine you’re trying to sell something. You know that this thing is fantastic. You know that it can change lives, perhaps even change the world. You get together with some like-minded people and they agree to promote this product too. So now you have a team of people, a great...
Summary The South African Department of Health has published revised TB Infection Control guidelines in 2015, to provide guidance to management and staff in minimizing the risk of TB transmission in health care facilities, congregate settings (e.g correctional services) and communities. When keeping in mind the context of high HIV, MDR-TB and...
The world is an unequal place demonstrated clearly by the fact that the 62 richest people in the world are as wealthy as the remaining 7 billion. As the number of people on the planet grows, and the amount of resources remains the same, it seems inevitable that the divide...