Malaria is one of the deadliest yet preventable diseases in the world. In 2024, it was estimated to claim about 610,000 lives, according to the World Health Organization. Africa bears the brunt of this burden, accounting for 95% of global cases and deaths. Children under five are especially affected, with roughly one child dying every minute. The disease is estimated to cost Africa…
U.S. Embassy Pretoria Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE United States Welcomes Arrival of Groundbreaking HIV Prevention Medicine in South Africa PRETORIA, South Africa – The U.S. Mission to South Africa welcomes the arrival of the first shipment of Lenacapavir to South Africa on April 7, marking a significant milestone in the global fight against HIV/AIDS….
Blocking humanitarian organizations from accessing a medical breakthrough puts vulnerable people across the world in danger. In an open letter published today, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) called on the US pharmaceutical corporation Gilead Sciences to immediately sell the organization the game-changing and highly effective HIV prevention medicine, lenacapavir, for use in its medical programs worldwide. Despite multiple requests, the company…
The world is witnessing an alarming erosion of respect for international law, with conflicts increasingly targeting civilians and heightening the risk of atrocity crimes, warns the United Nations’ newly appointed Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. In his first interview since assuming the post in August, Chaloka Beyani reflected on the origins of his…
South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia were to begin on Monday administering a groundbreaking new HIV-prevention injection in the drug’s first public rollouts in Africa, which has the world’s highest HIV burden. Lenacapavir, taken twice a year, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent, making it functionally akin…
China has announced a US$3.49 million (R60 million) partnership with South Africa to expand HIV prevention services among adolescents and young people, as well as people who inject drugs, over the next two years. These two groups are among those considered key populations – people who are at high risk of HIV infection. Globally, young…
Conflicts in Africa cannot be solved through military solutions and peace and security on the continent “demands a proactive preventative” approach, according to the UN’s Special Representative to the African Union. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga was speaking at a Security Council meeting focused on the key issues faced by Africa and cooperation between the UN and the…
What’s new From 2027, Indian generics companies and Hetero Labs Dr. Reddy’s will supply lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable PrEP with ~96-100% efficacy, for US$40 (R698) per person per year across 120 low- and middle-income countries. South Africa, home to the world’s largest HIV epidemic, is included in the agreement, making the country one of the…
Addis Ababa — Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, addressed the AU Peace and Security Council on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York on Wednesday, presenting a comprehensive strategy to address the continent’s security challenges. Youssouf expressed gratitude to Angolan President João Lourenço for convening…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its global cholera statistics for 2024, showing an increase in both the number of people who fell sick and died from the disease. Reported cholera cases rose by 5% and deaths by 50% in 2024 compared to 2023, with more than 6000 people dying from a disease that…
