Critics of the South African government argue that it has done too little too late to secure vaccines, and that it doesn’t have a proper plan in place for rollout.
It’s unlikely South Africa will have a substantial number of vaccines until the second half of this year. Most of the vaccines produced in Europe or America have been bought by other countries.
Local and national governments in west and central African countries must prioritise investment in providing access to HIV testing for all pregnant women.
States and hospitals are starting to declare ‘crisis standards of care’ as the pandemic floods their ERs. The orders have consequences – both good and bad, as a medical ethicist explains.
So far, the only COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use need to be kept frozen. But there are many places in the world that can’t support a cold supply chain.
Public health recommendations have always been a hard sell. Resistance to new behaviors – like the mask-wearing and social distancing advised during the COVID-19 pandemic – is part of human nature.
Bennett Doughty, Binghamton University, State University of New York y Pamela Stewart Fahs, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The vaccines’ cold storage requirements and shipment rules put small, rural communities at a disadvantage, but that’s only part of a long-running challenge.
Women are testing positive at a higher rate than men and women, they have a greater social and economic vulnerability, particularly during lockdown, with working-age being the most affected.
In this video interview, Dr Doyin Odubanjo, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science and a public health expert, talks about keeping safe while celebrating Christmas during COVID-19.
Over nine months into COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria, there are concerns about how well the country has managed the disease pandemic and how this might affect its handling of other diseases.
The importance of accessing water that’s safe to drink and enough for washing, cleaning and cooking is clear, but little attention has been given to the safety of water collection away from home.
There is a global travel and tourism fear because of the virus. It may take time before people plan to travel again. The industry needs to build back better in a sustainable way.
A 1904 revolt against mandatory smallpox inoculation taught Brazilian health officials a deadly lesson on how to vaccinate a skeptical public. Today President Bolsonaro seems to ignore that history.
Parents have the primary role of educating their children about their sexuality. But cultural beliefs and taboos about sex can work strongly against their efforts.
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
Principal Medical Scientist and Head of Laboratory for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring and Malaria Operational Research, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Professor and Programme Director, SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand