In this episode of Health Beat, we ear from researchers like Nomathemba Chandiwana, who warns that with one in four obese people, our health system isn’t ready for what’s coming, while tax expert Corné van Walbeek has a workable solution. Watch now: bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-tv...

#Ghana has had a 20% tax on sugary beverages since 2023. It’s reducing demand and improving public health. SA’s sugar tax is 11%. bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-tv...

Sugary drinks are a killer. Would a 20% tax increase save lives? bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-tv...

Is #SouthAfrica’s next big fat health crisis preventable? Or are we already there? Health Beat asks those in the know. #Obesity #Nutrition bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-tv...

Half of South Africans are overweight or obese. That's way more than the 8-million people with hashtag#HIV. @miamalan.bsky.social asks why — and why this matters. Watch Health Beat on eNCA today at 2.30pm.

In South Africa, noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are big killers. @miamalan.bsky.social finds out why on our latest episode of Health Beat on eNCA this Sunday, at 2.30pm.

[WATCH] Are we at risk of raising a generation with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure before adulthood? Watch our latest episode this Sunday at 2.30pm on eNCA to learn how poverty is driving people towards cheaper ultraprocessed foods, resulting in an obese, but malnourished population.

[WATCH] Noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and obesity are the country’s biggest killers. These illnesses are driven not by germs, but by our environment, our diet and the industries that profit from keeping us sick. More on Health Beat this Sunday at 2.30pm on eNCA.

Daily PrEP pill = free in SA clinics. Twice-yearly lenacapavir = same price benchmark. The race is on. 🏁 #UNGA80 bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Every day, 122 young women in South Africa get infected with HIV. LEN — a twice-yearly jab — cut infections to ZERO in a large trial. Now 2 Indian drugmakers, backed by the Gates Foundation & Unitaid, are stepping in to make it affordable. Could this change the game? bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Big move in HIV prevention: Indian drugmakers Hetero & Dr Reddy’s will sell the twice-a-year anti-HIV jab LEN for just $40 (R692) a year — about the same as daily #PrEP pills via @miamalan.bsky.social. 💉📉 #EndAIDS #UNGA80 bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

From $28k in the US to $40 in SA by 2027. That’s how generic lenacapavir will change the game. 🚀 Our @miamalan.bsky.social reports from New York. #UNGA80 bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

What do US funding cuts mean for couples where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative? Read our multimedia producer Thatego Mashabela’s pick, from NPR. #BhekisisaInYourInbox mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

In our latest newsletter, read consulting editor Tanya Pampalone’s take on what lies beneath the seemingly healed hills of Inanda, the township northwest of Durban which was severely damaged by the April 2022 floods. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

"I was born like this, to accept everything that comes this way. I'm a strong woman. You'll never find a woman like me in this world." Nomusa Gabayi from #Inanda talks about surviving the April 2022 floods in #KZN. bhekisisa.org/special-repo...

"Digging, digging, digging, all night." The induna of Magelekedeni in #Inanda told @tanyapampalone.bsky.social about that April night in 2022 when neighbours took up spades to search for bodies in the mud. #MentalHealth #ClimateChange bhekisisa.org/special-repo...

"Some languages don't have certain mental health diagnoses. Like, how do you say post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Zulu?" — @ahri-news.bsky.social researcher, Collins Iwuji, on #MentalHealth and #ClimateChange. bhekisisa.org/special-repo...

In 2023, a Bhekisisa op-ed caught the presidency’s eye. The DG Murray Trust’s David Harrison’s “Ten Best Buys” plan would cut 10 staple prices by 20%. The question: will it stay an idea, or become policy? #FoodSecurity youtu.be/Q_5ymW54J5A

“We don’t view health as a medical issue only, we view it as a social justice issue,” says @miamalan.bsky.social. That’s why Bhekisisa publishes op-eds that push ideas like cheaper food into policy debates. #HealthEquity #FoodSecurity bhekisisa.org/article/2025...

“It was very interesting … the presidency was listening, they were looking,” says David Harrison. His Bhekisisa op-ed on food affordability reached the highest levels. #FoodSecurity #PolicyChange bhekisisa.org/article/2025...

“Industry cannot simply sit back and watch the food crisis play out,” says The DG Murray Trust’s David Harrison. The presidency launched discussions after his Bhekisisa op-ed — we watch the space. #FoodSecurity youtu.be/Q_5ymW54J5A

“As measles exploded, officials in Texas looked to CDC scientists. Under Trump, no one answered.” Read Anna-Maria van Niekerk's pick, from KFF Health News, in today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

3 in 10 children in SA are too short for their age because they don’t get enough healthy food. Our op-ed pushed leaders to act — now we wait to see if talk becomes change. Find out more in today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

“Our children in South Africa are nutritionally stunted — not all of them are getting enough food,” says The DG Murray Trust’s David Harrison. His Bhekisisa op-ed pushed the government to act. When will they? #Nutrition #FoodSecurity bhekisisa.org/article/2025...

3 in 10 children in SA are stunted before they turn 5. One op-ed pushed the presidency and Nedlac to look at cutting staple food prices. Will it happen? #FoodSecurity #ChildHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2025...

In just over a week, our @miamalan.bsky.social will be in NYC for #UNGA2025. Catch her on this panel hosted by @theexamination.org.

A minimum 20% tax on sugary drinks could help lower #NCDs such as diabetes and heart disease, says The World Organisation. But the final version of the UN declaration on #NCDs no longer asks countries to increase them. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Research, much of it by companies with deep investment in AI, suggests that chatbot interactions alter how users think. Read Nicole Ludolph’s pick, from Undark, for more. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

The World Health Organisation's best ways to lower alcohol use were clearly mentioned in the UN declaration on #NCDs zero draft. Now, you won’t find them in the final version. Read more on this here. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

The zero draft of the UN NCDs declaration was unequivocal. Now, the version set to be adopted has lost important language to help countries tackle these diseases. Find out more in today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

1️⃣Original draft: Use plain packaging and graphic warning policies. 2️⃣New draft: Only encourages the use of health warnings. Find out what else the new UN declaration on #NCDs misses from the zero draft. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

From increasing health taxes, to only “considering” them at all. That’s what the new UN declaration on #NCDs tells countries to do. Find out why local experts are worried. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

What do the health standards scores of state hospitals and clinics show about the quality of their service? On average, five provinces score above 70%, and only one comes in under 50%. But does this give a fair view? We dive deep into the data. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

"Dr. Thomas Farley, an epidemiologist, reported that death rates from fall injuries among Americans over 65 had more than tripled over the past 30 years. The culprit, in his view, is Americans’ reliance on prescription drugs." Read Zano Kunene’s newsletter pick. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

When money is tight, a province has to decide whether to focus on offering more health services of possibly less-than-perfect quality, or fewer services at closer-to-perfect quality. But how would decision-makers know where to start? Read more. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

We put 1 212 #healthcompliance scores for SA’s provinces into a spreadsheet to see where the rot spots might be. Today’s #BhekisisainYourInbox has our interactive heatmap. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

On average, South Africa’s public health facilities scored 67% on the Office for Health Standards Compliance quality tests in 2022. But does the report card give an accurate view of what’s happening in real life? We ran the numbers. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

🌐 How can journalists and public health advocates collaborate to educate the public and policymakers? Join us in NYC on September 24 for a discussion with NCD Alliance and @bhekisisa.org. To RSVP, email [email protected] by September 15.

Poor reporting created space for #Misinformation and #ConspiracyTheories to spread about dangers lurking in tap water. Some claimed #ARVs were "deliberately put" in water by powerful groups. @africacheck.org explains how it happened. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Headlines screamed "dangerous levels" of #HIV meds are in SA’s water. But the actual study found no immediate evidence of harm to humans. Here’s how misleading reporting spreads fear. With @africacheck.org. #PublicHealthMisinformation bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

🚰 A 2020 study on HIV medicines in South Africa’s water made headlines in July as “new” research. But the science shows the amounts detected were so tiny they were hardly traceable — and not an immediate health risk. @bhekisisa.org unpacks the science behind it. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

A case study in media-driven #PublicHealthMisinformation: how cut and paste press releases and misleading headlines are amplified by social media, leading to conspiracy theories and public confusion. With @africacheck.org. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

@africacheck.org | The study's highest finding for drinking water: 6.2 micrograms of HIV medicine per litre of water. To put this in perspective: that's equivalent to dissolving three teaspoons of medication in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. bhekisisa.org/article/2025...

“American healthcare gets a lot wrong. Here’s what it gets right.” Read Rosaline Daniel’s pick, from The New York Times, in today's #BhekisisaInYourInbox for more information. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

And of course you can also read my explanation of how this information was buried by confusion and miscommunication. Find it on Bhekisisa's site or on Africa Check. bsky.app/profile/afri...

Getting to work with the brilliant journalists at Bhekisisa was an honour. Very thankful for their expertise, this story couldn't have been completed without it. 🧠 Please go read their excellent writeup of some very interesting research. 🧪

How did a dated report on HIV in SA’s water supply turn up on so many news sites as breaking news? Read why the widespread and unnecessary public panic it created didn’t make sense to public health experts. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

#Churnalism: where uncritical reporting on press releases or other pre-existing material is churned out without fact-checking or original research. Here’s how news consumers and journalists can avoid it. With @africacheck.org. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Timelines matter, says University of KwaZulu-Natal pharmacologist Andy Gray about a study using 2017-2018 data about #HIV medicines in the water. Read our fact check with @africacheck.org. bhekisisa.org/article/2025...

Poor reporting created space for #Misinformation and #ConspiracyTheories to spread about dangers lurking in tap water. Some claimed #ARVs were "deliberately put" in water by powerful groups. @africacheck.org explains how it happened. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...