Spotlight

The mosquito hunters working against rising floods and shrinking budgets to end malaria in South Africa Get to know South Africa’s malaria experts as they outrun hitchhiking mosquitoes and pollution-hardy bugs while navigating a regional funding collapse and a spiralling climate crisis. Joan van Dyk rep...

MOSQUITO HUNTERS | How does government track the malaria parasite? Why polluted puddles could spell trouble, and a pre-elimination puzzle. Get to know South Africa’s malaria experts as they outrun hitchhiking mosquitoes and pollution-hardy bugs.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/04/t...

Early treatment helps protect the brains of people living with HIV Antiretroviral therapy has shifted HIV from a fatal to a chronic condition. But neuropsychiatrists say it is imperative for people living with the virus to start treatment immediately as the “duration...

It's long been recognised that cognitive impairment is a potential complication of HIV infection. Questions over how likely and how serious this potential complication is have become more urgent over time as the population of people living with HIV ages.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/03/e...

WHO recommends nutritional support in fight against TB – government claims to take it on board Evidence has been mounting that poor nutrition impacts both someone’s risk of falling ill with TB and how well they do once ill. But as the World Health Organization (WHO) releases new guidelines on T...

ICYMI | That TB and malnutrition often go hand-in-hand is well established, but it is also one of those connections that is often greeted by a shrug. That is something the WHO is hoping to change.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/11/03/w...

As another Rare Diseases Day swings by, is SA ready to take it more seriously? Individual rare diseases impact only a very small fraction of people, but collectively they are estimated to affect over three million in South Africa. As we mark International Rare Disease Day on 28 ...

RARE | "As a mother raising a child with a rare disease in South Africa, what needs to change is simple: awareness, compassion, and accountability,” a passionate mom tells Spotlight ahead of International Rare Diseases Day
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/27/a...

FROM SA TO GLOBAL HOPE | Spotlight goes inside an early-stage HIV vaccine trial to unpack how two cutting-edge shots, local scientific grit, and a search for “star” antibodies could shape the future of HIV. Here’s the lowdown: tinyurl.com/2ptu7t6d

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CUTTING EDGE | South African-led HIV vaccine trial built on decades of research kicked off in Cape Town. Spotlight unpacks what exactly is being studied, and how the resilience, tenacity and urgency of a group of dedicated local researchers made it possible.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/26/b...

CUTTING EDGE | South African-led HIV vaccine trial built on decades of research kicked off in Cape Town. Spotlight unpacks what exactly is being studied, and how the resilience, tenacity and urgency of a group of dedicated local researchers made it possible.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/26/b...

Behind the scenes: The amazing people driving a ‘truly South African’ HIV vaccine study

https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/26/behind-the-scenes-the-amazing-people-driving-a-truly-south-african-hiv-vaccine-study/

Obesity medicines are needed in SA’s public sector. Can our government provide them? In South Africa, access to weight loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro remains limited to those who can shell out a few thousand Rand a month. In the second article of a Spotlight special series, ...

OUT OF REACH | Accessing weight loss meds like Ozempic and Mounjaro requires people to shell out a few thousand Rand a month. In part 2 of this special series, we examine the medical need for these meds and what it would take to get them in the public sector.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/25/o...

SA has a “bogus doctor” problem Bogus medical practitioners threaten the health of patients and undermines trust in doctors. The problem might be growing, but so is the fight against it. Elna Schütz reports.

ICYMI | The controversy over bogus doctors gained widespread attention in late 2023 when it was discovered that ‘TikTok doctor’ Matthew Lani lied about being a medical doctor.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/09/s...

NUMBERS MATTER | In an age of misinformation, clear and trust-worthy numbers matter more than ever. That is one reason why we have been hard at work to help bring reliable health data to your fingertips. Dive in: tinyurl.com/y4b8zf6k

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NUMBERS MATTER | In an age of misinformation, clear and trust-worthy numbers matter more than ever. That is one reason why we have been hard at work to help bring reliable health data to your fingertips. Dive in: tinyurl.com/y4b8zf6k

Join our mailing list: tinyurl.com/82jdsfjy

This looks quite concerning. Bedaquiline is arguably the most important new TB drug of recent decades.

Russell Rensburg | Consolidate the funding of South Africa’s district health system: why reform can’t wait District managers in South Africa’s public healthcare system currently have to juggle funding from multiple government budget lines, each with different strings attached. To improve district health se...

TIME FOR REFORM | The district healthcare system often functions in name, but not in practice. This disconnect is mostly due to how district-level services – and healthcare in general – is funded. A change is needed, says Russell Rensburg.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/19/r...

#CROI2026 starts on Sunday. Let us know if there are any specific studies you would like Spotlight to cover. We are particularly interested in HIV and TB studies relevant to South Africa.

Excitement around medicines with brand names like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have grown tremendously over the past few years. When will generics come to South Africa?

Explore our Q&A and join the discussion: us13.campaign-archive.com?u=8b66ef0bbe...

#CROI2026 starts on Sunday. Let us know if there are any specific studies you would like Spotlight to cover. We are particularly interested in HIV and TB studies relevant to South Africa.

Spotlight unveiled a new TB dashboard and graph generator to help everyone better understand the state of South Africa’s TB epidemic. Explore the dashboard. Generate your own graphs. Share the insights.

Dive in: www.spotlightnsp.co.za/tb-dashboard/

EDITORIAL | Spotlight launches new TB dashboard Spotlight has unveiled a new tuberculosis dashboard and graph generator. We hope this dashboard will help people get a clearer picture of the state of South Africa’s TB epidemic – an epidemic that sti...

MORE TRANSPARENCY | Spotlight's new TB dashboard and graph generator follows on the launch of a similar HIV dashboard. These dashboards show estimates from the latest versions of the Thembisa mathematical model.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/17/e...

SA and Indonesia team up on massive asymptomatic TB study Over the last decade, there’s been growing evidence that people can have TB without having any symptoms. But there is still much uncertainty over how such asymptomatic TB functions in the body and how...

ICYMI | Our knowledge of TB has expanded substantially over the last decade, but with new knowledge comes new questions. Maybe most notably, the binary distinction between latent TB infection and TB disease has broken down.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/11/06/s...

Another very informative piece from Andy Gray.

BEHIND THE PRICE TAG | Unregulated launch prices. Hidden fees. Stark differences between public and private sector costs. Our medicine pricing framework may look robust, but there are gaps and grey areas. Find out more: tinyurl.com/2s3ftnbe

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The professor who wouldn’t look away: Leslie London on poison, the 'dop system', and genocide From academic corridors to ministerial meetings and rural reaches, Leslie London has never shied away from speaking truth to power. Biénne Huisman speaks to the Emeritus Professor at the University of...

🚨New read from @spotlightnsp.bsky.social
✊🏾Prof Leslie London has spent decades fighting for health equity from exposing pesticide harm to advocating against alcohol abuse among vulnerable populations.
👉🏾 Read the full article: www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/11/t...
#PublicHealth

Inside the box with Dr Andy Gray | How medicines pricing works in SA and how it might change in future In South Africa, as in many places, pharmaceutical companies are not free to change medicine prices as they wish. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray unpacks how medicines prices are reg...

#InsideTheBox | Medicine pricing is a good example of the deficiencies in the National Drug Policy, which has never been revised since it was first issued in 1996, writes Dr Andy Gray for Spotlight.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/12/i...

The professor who wouldn’t look away: Leslie London on poison, the 'dop system', and genocide From academic corridors to ministerial meetings and rural reaches, Leslie London has never shied away from speaking truth to power. Biénne Huisman speaks to the Emeritus Professor at the University of...

HIS WAY | A fighter for human rights in the tumultuous years before South Africa’s first democratic elections, Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town Leslie London speaks to Spotlight about his life's work fighting health inequity.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/11/t...

SA has a “bogus doctor” problem Bogus medical practitioners threaten the health of patients and undermines trust in doctors. The problem might be growing, but so is the fight against it. Elna Schütz reports.

YOUR MONDAY READ | “If you’re in the hands of an unqualified person, you’re as well as dead, and we think it is not fair for the country,” Dr Magome Masike tells Spotlight. He is the Registrar of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/09/s...

OUT OF REACH | The blockbuster weight loss injections everyone is talking about will - for now - remain difficult to access for most of the people who need them: tinyurl.com/5dsv25e8

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“There are good people out there who want to do good things” – How healthcare services are being taken to rural Western Cape farms The health department in the Western Cape is partnering with farms in the Cape Winelands to provide easier access to healthcare for farm workers. Sue Segar unpacks one such partnership and why it is a...

GOOD NEWS | Farm workers often have difficulty accessing healthcare services, but a partnership between the Western Cape Department of Health and farms in the Cape Winelands aims to make this easier. Spotlight went to see one such initiative in action.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/06/t...

Blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes medicines sales surge despite cost barriers Sales of weight loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro have sky-rocketed in South Africa in recent years, although they remain too expensive for most people who might benefit from the jabs. In the f...

GLP-1s | Despite South Africa's sky-rocketing sales of weight loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro, the jabs remain too expensive for most people to buy. In part one of this special series, Spotlight assesses when they will become more widely available.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/02/04/b...

Integrating health services for mom and baby could reduce clinic visits by half In South Africa, many mothers and their babies have to visit the clinic more than 10 times in the first six months of the postnatal period. Early findings from an ongoing implementation science projec...

To improve care in the postnatal period, researchers in Gauteng have launched an ambitious implementation science project called Sihamba Kunye. Their key idea is that clinic visits for mother and baby can be much better integrated and optimised.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/11/19/i...