There are fears that, because the LAM measure is easily administered, it could be used when conditions call for more detailed analysis. A cost-effective, quick urine test for tuberculosis (TB) could save lives, but it isn’t a silver bullet.…

Cape Verde, which recorded 22 suspected cases of Zika in the first week of March alone, has reported its first case of microcephaly. The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched a team to Cape Verde to monitor a Zika virus…

The WHO has dispatched an expert team to southern Guinea after new cases of Ebola surfaced there. A medical charity said Friday it had reopened its specialist Ebola clinic in southern Guinea to treat an infected woman and her child…

Although important victories have been won in the fight to protect girls from becoming child brides, the practice remains common and is growing. Millions of African girls are becoming wives every year. In Niger, about 75% of girls will become…

With the help of new technologies, global health organizations aim to eliminate malaria in Africa in the next 15 years. The relatively unknown mosquito-borne illness, Zika, is causing controversy around the globe, but another devastating disease – carried by the…

Early diagnosis, a simple test, vector curbs and a new medicine is effective in many areas, but South Sudan can’t rely on this treatment. With medical advances and international co-operation, some countries have made great strides in treating and even…

While former president Thabo Mbeki continues to doubt the link between HIV and Aids, SA is expanding its HIV treatment to those who are HIV negative. COMMENT The scientific world has had evidence since 2011 that a single pill a…

Success hinges on a number of key factors, ranging from government buy-in to harnessing the support of traditional leaders and civil society. COMMENT Much of my life has been spent working to eradicate polio, a crippling and vaccine-preventable disease. This…

The Ebola outbreak on the continent showed how countries with poor health systems are unfit to fight epidemics. If the outbreak in Brazil is not significantly contained by August when the country is set to host the Olympic Games, “there…

Most conspiracy theories are harmless, but rumors that GM mosquitoes may inadvertently have caused Brazil’s epidemic could potentially cost lives. Conspiracy theories are not unlike viruses. Mostly they circulate harmlessly on the fringes of society, but every now and then…