Health

Health Department Urges Vigilance As Mpox Cases Rise In South Africa

The National Department of Health has confirmed an increase in laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases across South Africa, prompting a national call for heightened public awareness and hygiene compliance. The rise in infections follows the first confirmed case of the 2024 outbreak cycle recorded on 8 May, with the department and the...

1 month agoSeptember 19, 2026Cape Flats NewsHealth

New Somerset Hospital Management Addresses Concerns Over Social-Case Infants

Hospital management at New Somerset Hospital has confirmed that they are reviewing internal procedures regarding the care and support of infants classified as social cases. This follows public concern regarding the long-term placement of children who remain in clinical care after medical treatment is concluded, often due to pending placement...

1 month agoSeptember 19, 2026Cape Flats NewsHealth

Black women report higher labour pain but receive less medication in US study

Black women in the United States report higher pain during labour but receive pain medication less often than non-Hispanic White women, according to a study of 46,671 births published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The disparity held even after researchers adjusted for pain score, age, length of stay and...

1 month agoSeptember 13, 2026Cape Flats NewsHealth

HIV stigma remains high as fear stops people from testing despite medicine

Former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas told the International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro this week that global gains against the virus are being eroded by a stubborn enemy: stigma. “People are still afraid of those three letters,” Thomas said at a Tackle HIV campaign event on Ipanema Beach,...

1 month agoSeptember 13, 2026Cape Flats NewsHealth

HIV Stigma Fight by Former Rugby Star Aims to Support Cape Flats Patients

Former Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas is leading a global fight against HIV stigma, and his message resonates deeply in South Africa's Cape Flats communities. The Tackle HIV campaign highlights that modern treatment makes the virus manageable, yet fear still keeps people from testing.

1 month agoSeptember 13, 2026Cape Flats NewsHealth

Mental health sector failed to address violence risk in severe illness cases

The chief executive of UK mental health charity Mind has told the Nottingham Inquiry that the charity sector has been too reluctant to acknowledge that people with severe mental illness can pose a risk of violence in some circumstances. Dr Sarah Hughes gave evidence to the inquiry examining the June...

2 months agoSeptember 6, 2026By Layla HadidHealth

DRC Ebola Outbreak Kills Over 3,000 as WHO Urges Scaling Up Response

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached 6,186 confirmed cases and 3,007 deaths as of 2 September 2026, according to government figures reported by Reuters, making it the country’s deadliest epidemic on record and one of the largest Ebola outbreaks ever recorded globally. The outbreak was...

2 months agoSeptember 4, 2026Bobby BoucherHealth

South Africa records 987 maternal deaths in 2023 despite evidence

South Africa recorded 987 corrected maternal deaths in 2023, with an institutional maternal mortality ratio of 111.7 per 100,000 live births — well above the Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 — according to the latest Saving Mothers report by the National Committee for Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths. The...

2 months agoSeptember 4, 2026By Layla HadidHealth

South Africa’s Maternal Deaths Stay High with 58% Preventable Cases

South Africa recorded 987 maternal deaths in 2023, with 58% assessed as potentially preventable within the health system, according to the National Department of Health’s Saving Mothers report. The corrected in-facility maternal mortality ratio of 111.7 per 100,000 live births places South Africa far above the Sustainable Development Goal target...

2 months agoSeptember 4, 2026By Layla HadidHealth

Cardiovascular Disease Causes Nearly 100,000 Deaths in South Africa in 2021

South Africa recorded 98,605 deaths from cardiovascular disease in 2021, according to the World Heart Federation, as the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa uses Heart Awareness Month this September to warn that many of these deaths are preventable. The federation’s country scorecard lists South Africa’s age-standardised cardiovascular mortality at...

2 months agoSeptember 3, 2026By Layla HadidHealth

Food Insecurity and Poverty Impact HIV Treatment Success in Western Cape

Over 111,000 people living with HIV in the Western Cape have not accessed care in the past two years, according to Provincial Health Data Centre figures, as researchers and health officials warn that medicine alone cannot sustain treatment outcomes without addressing poverty, hunger, and access barriers. A republished Health-e article...

2 months agoSeptember 3, 2026By Layla HadidHealth