South Africa’s cholera outbreak, with cases reported in five provinces, has claimed 26 lives. On World Food Safety Day, a food safety expert says ensuring proper food safety and hygiene protocols is the most effective way to prevent the further…
South Africa now faces its fourth outbreak of mainly childhood diseases since last year. This follows the confirmation of a diphtheria outbreak by the National Department of Health last week after cases were recorded in Kwazulu-Natal and in the Western…
Experts have warned healthcare workers not to wait for laboratory diagnoses, and to treat all diarrhoea cases as suspected cholera until proven otherwise. Addressing the media on Tuesday, the Head of the Centre for Enteric Diseases at the National Institute…
The mumps outbreak is affecting schooling in Botshabelo in the Free State, with at least 100 children testing positive. The Limpopo Health Department is urging parents to monitor symptoms. “Symptoms include headache, fever, malaise and loss of appetite. The glands…
South Africa is in the midst of a mumps outbreak for the first time in over two decades, with over 1322 positive cases reported. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases(NICD) says Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng recorded the majority of cases.…
In 2022, there was a resurgence of influenza activity, following the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) is unable to say what the flu trend will look like this winter. However, a prevalence in cases is…
Disease experts warn it is critically important that South Africans get their Covid-19 vaccines, especially immunocompromised people. This comes after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 is no longer a global public health emergency. Professor Cheryl Cohen, Head of the…
The Gauteng Department of Health confirmed a third case of cholera on Wednesday, but authorities say the risk of an outbreak remains low. The husband of one of the first two confirmed patients tested positive. The department says the…
The number of laboratory confirmed whooping cough (pertussis) cases in South Africa has risen dramatically, with cases doubling in just a few weeks. In December the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported a total of 408 cases countrywide, with…
The National Department of Health (NDoH) plans to reinvigorate its Covid-19 vaccination campaign, zooming in on booster doses. This is as a second case of the XBB.1.5 sub-variant was detected in the Western Cape. Department Spokesperson, Foster Mohale, said…
As the number of measles cases continues to rise, a national vaccine drive targeting the disease has started earlier in the five provinces battling the outbreak. The health ministry had initially planned to roll out the national vaccine campaign next…
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases(NICD) has confirmed measles cases in all nine provinces. However, only Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West are experiencing actual outbreaks. Health Minister Joe Phaala and his nine provincial health MECs will update the…
Another four measles cases have been detected in the Greater Sekhukhune District in Limpopo, bringing the total number of cases to seven. Health authorities are now busy with contact tracing and screening for suspected cases.. On Monday, the National Institute…
The latest guidelines on managing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI) focus on the importance of screening, a shift that has been welcomed by experts. Published by the South African HIV Clinicians Society (SAHIVSOC) last month, the guidelines reflect…
Parents of young children have been urged to ensure their kids’ vaccinations are up to date as cases of pertussis, known as whooping cough, rise rapidly in South Africa. 147 cases have been recorded since the start of 2022, with…