Spotlight

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In-depth, public interest, health journalism. Published by SECTION27 and TAC. Member of South African Press Council.
SpotlightJan 29, 2024
Local malaria cases are confined to the north-eastern part of the country where it is endemic. There is, however, a risk that malaria cases will increase with a rise in temperature and rainfall in other parts of the country. Read this article by @adelebaleta from our archives: https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/08/07/analysis-what-climate-change-might-mean-for-malaria-in-sa/
Analysis: What climate change might mean for malaria in SA

Malaria-carrying mosquitoes will, and are already moving to new habitats as the earth warms up due to climate change. Adele Baleta asked several local experts what the changing climate might mean for malaria in South Africa and efforts to eliminate the parasitic disease.

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SpotlightJan 24, 2024
What is on the line from a healthcare perspective in South Africa's most consequential and most competitive national and provincial elections since 1994? Find out in this editorial from Spotlight editor Marcus Low: https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2024/01/24/editorial-marcus-low-elections-nhi-hiv-anc-tb-this-is-a-big-year-for-healthcare-in-sa/
EDITORIAL: With elections and NHI, this is a big year for healthcare in SA

South Africa is barrelling towards its most consequential and most competitive national and provincial elections since 1994. Spotlight editor Marcus Low asks what is on the line in these elections from a healthcare perspective and argues that the stakes are particularly high when it comes to NHI and the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provincial health departments.

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SpotlightJan 23, 2024
In 2030 there will be around 128 535 new HIV infections, with over 70 412 being young women between the ages of 15-24 years, projects the Thembisa model outputs published last year. Read our piece by Dr Yogan Pillay on how SA can meet its HIV targets: https://t.co/TUtCYdvJED
Opinion: This is how SA can meet its HIV targets

To respond to the call to end AIDS by 2030, Dr Yogan Pillay argues it is firstly critical to agree on what we mean by ending AIDS. Secondly, he suggests it is important to have accurate and granular data that can inform a more targeted approach to reaching those people that the health system typically does not reach.

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SpotlightDec 13, 2023
2023 was a busy year of health-related developments in South Africa, yet not much seems to have changed at facility level. Spotlight editor Marcus Low tries to wrap up the year in fewer than 1k words https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/12/11/health-in-2023-a-deceptively-busy-year-in-fewer-than-1-000-words/
Health in 2023: A deceptively busy year in fewer than 1 000 words

2023 was a busy year for healthcare in South Africa. We saw several promising policy developments, landmark court cases, important pieces of legislation, and some changes in leadership. Yet, take a step back and at facility level little seems to have changed. Shortages of healthcare workers persist, corruption is still rife, budgets tight, and our health governance crisis remains as acute as ever. Marcus Low looks back at the year in health in fewer than 1 000 words.

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SpotlightNov 28, 2023
Part 2 of Jesse Copelyn’s excellent series on lead poisoning https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/11/28/lead-poisoning-part-2-scientists-find-toxic-metals-in-kitchenware/
Lead poisoning part 2: Scientists find toxic metals in kitchenware

In part one of this Spotlight special series on lead poisoning, Jesse Copelyn explored new research suggesting that lead exposure is far more damaging to cardiovascular health than previously estimated. In part two, he takes a look at the sources of lead poisoning in South Africa, where the metal has been found in products ranging from cooking pots to serving plates.

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SpotlightNov 27, 2023
Antibiotic slashes risk of DR-TB in kids, finds large SA study https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/11/27/antibiotic-slashes-risk-of-drug-resistant-tb-in-kids-finds-major-sa-study/
Antibiotic slashes risk of drug-resistant TB in kids, finds major SA study

Tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy has been transformed in recent years, with treatment duration having been cut from six or more months to just three or one. Progress in developing new treatments to prevent drug-resistant forms of TB has however lagged behind, especially in children. Elri Voigt unpacks findings from a major new TB prevention study presented at the Union World Conference on Lung Health last week and plans for another important preventive therapy trial set to start soon.

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SpotlightNov 20, 2023
What is behind SA’s remarkable TB clinical trial capacity and what improvements can be made? https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/11/20/in-depth-sas-remarkable-tb-clinical-trial-capacity/
In-depth: SA’s remarkable TB clinical trial capacity

Several of the world’s most important tuberculosis clinical trials of the last two decades were done in part or entirely in South Africa. Tiyese Jeranji chatted to some leading researchers about where the country’s clinical trial capacity comes from and what is needed to maintain and improve it.

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SpotlightNov 10, 2023
In-depth: What new WHO TB numbers mean for South Africa https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/11/10/in-depth-what-new-who-tb-numbers-mean-for-sa/
In-depth: What new WHO TB numbers mean for SA

An estimated 54 000 people died of tuberculosis in South Africa in 2022 and around 280 000 fell ill with the disease, according to just-released figures from the World Health Organization. Catherine Tomlinson unpacks the figures and what they mean for the country’s TB response.

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SpotlightNov 3, 2023
Just published: New drug offers hope against untreatable gonorrhoea. Much of phase 3 trial done in SA. Reporting by Catherine Tomlinson https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/11/03/new-drug-offers-hope-against-untreatable-gonorrhoea/
New drug offers hope against untreatable gonorrhoea

Newly announced results of a pivotal phase 3 trial have demonstrated the effectiveness of a new treatment for gonorrhoea. The medicine, zoliflodacin, is the first new drug developed to treat gonorrhoea in over 30 years. More than half of the 930 patients in the trial were from South Africa. Catherine Tomlinson reports.

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SpotlightOct 20, 2023
Opinion: Exciting health reforms are possible if we can move beyond the political sclerosis https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/10/20/opinion-exciting-health-reforms-are-possible-if-we-can-move-beyond-all-the-political-sclerosis/
Opinion: Exciting health reforms are possible if we can move beyond all the political sclerosis

It is often enlightening to ask how and why certain services differ in the ways they do between the private and public healthcare sectors. By too rigidly focusing on the NHI Bill, argues Spotlight Editor Marcus Low, government risks losing sight of the many other interesting answers to this and other important questions about healthcare reform in South Africa.

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