Can HIV viral load monitoring help measure South Africa’s progress towards the 95-95-95 targets? Achieving the United Nations’ 95-95-95 targets is central to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. While increasing access to antiretroviral therapy is essential, routine HIV viral load monitoring provides critical insight into whether people living with HIV remain in care and […]
Can year-round respiratory surveillance improve South Africa’s response to seasonal and emerging respiratory diseases? Respiratory pathogens remain a major public health concern, causing seasonal outbreaks and severe illness, particularly among young children, older adults, and people with underlying health conditions. Understanding when these pathogens circulate, who is most affected, and how they evolve is essential
Can laboratory-based surveillance help identify populations most at risk of invasive pneumococcal disease in South Africa? Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, remains an important cause of illness and death in South Africa, particularly among young children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. Although the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) into the Expanded
What do the latest GERMS-SA surveillance findings reveal about disease trends in South Africa? Infectious diseases caused by bacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens remain a major public health concern. Surveillance systems that rely on laboratory-confirmed cases provide critical insights into disease burden and epidemiology, but can be affected by disruptions in diagnostic and reporting capacity.
2024 GERMS-SA: Annual surveillance review – Key findings Read More »
How has antenatal care HIV and syphilis surveillance evolved, and what comes next? Antenatal care (ANC) services provide convenient access to healthy women who are sexually active and can serve as a proxy for the general population with respect to HIV surveillance. Since 1990, South Africa has conducted antenatal care HIV and syphilis sentinel surveillance
How can One Health surveillance reveal hidden trends in human and animal cases? Rabies, endemic in South Africa, is a fatal viral infection affecting livestock, wildlife, domestic animals, and humans through direct zoonotic exposure. Although rabies has been reported in numerous mammalian species, most human infections are associated with contact with rabid domestic dogs. Traditional
One Health surveillance report for rabies in South Africa (2021–2023) Read More »
Can surveillance data reveal trends in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis in South Africa? HIV-associated cryptococcosis continues to contribute substantially to illness and death among people living with HIV in South Africa, despite important progress in expanding access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Cryptococcosis is a serious opportunistic fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii. It
Can mortality data help reveal hidden cancer risks across South Africa’s workplaces? Cancer poses a significant public health challenge in South Africa, yet understanding how workplace exposures contribute to cancer risk remains limited. Traditional surveillance systems often lack detailed occupational information, making it difficult to identify high-risk industries or exposure patterns. Mortality data provides a
Occupational cancer mortality in South Africa: insights from national data, 2011–2015 Read More »
Can wastewater surveillance reveal hidden disease trends and strengthen public health in South Africa? Infectious diseases caused by viral and bacterial pathogens remain a major public health concern. Traditional surveillance systems, which rely on laboratory-confirmed cases, can be affected by socioeconomic factors, delayed healthcare-seeking, and under-reporting. These challenges can obscure the true burden of disease
How effectively are rifampicin-resistant TB patients in Gauteng linked to care and initiated on treatment? Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that primarily affects the lungs but can spread to other parts of the body. Common symptoms include a persistent cough, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Without timely diagnosis
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