It’s undeniable that technology and the internet have changed the way we do things. One of the most important things about the way technology has advanced in the last few years is the way that things are beginning to become connected. A useful way to think of this new interconnectedness...
The focus of JPS Africa’s newsletter this month is on Voluntary Medical male Circumcision. In collaboration with the Department of Health, JPSA focusses on strengthening multiple efforts to meet key, national targets set out in the National Strategic Plan and the various other HIV/AIDS policy statements and strategic documents. In...
Medical male circumcision (MMC) has been shown to reduce the risk of female to male HIV infection and STIs by as much as 60%, as well as reducing the risks of prostate and cervical cancer. This is because it is associated with reduced penile human papillomavirus (HPV) which has been...
The International AIDS conference kicked off in South Africa in July 2016, and was an opportunity for partners to strategise on addressing the remaining barriers to ending the spread of HIV. A bullet in the arsenal against the spread of HIV is Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision (VMMC). Medical male circumcision has...
ssA landmark study in 2009 found that a vaccine can protect people from HIV infection. The study found that an experimental vaccine was 31.2 percent effective at preventing HIV infection during the 3.5 years after vaccination, and 60 percent effective one year after vaccination. In May 2016, the National Institute of...
For decades the World Health Organisation (WHO) has advocated for mothers to breastfeed their children rather than use formula or breast milk substitutes. Their position is that breast milk provides the best nutrition, and protection against a range of diseases including respiratory diseases, childhood obesity, and diarrhoeal diseases. They note...
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set a target to “ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages.” The goal contains a list of set targets relating to maternal health, child health, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and improving the uptake of preventative medicine. Will South Africa...
Training on infection control at home for Community Health Care Workers (CHCW) employed by hospice and Redcross in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Health District (NMBMHD) in the eastern Cape Province. Nelson Mandela Bay Health District has the highest rate of Drug Resistant (DR) TB notified each month with a total of...
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...