News

Africa’s Pandemic Preparedness at a Crossroads: Equity in Pathogen Sharing

As the world works toward a global pandemic treaty, African countries including Kenya, face a critical test of health equity. Advocates warn that without strong, binding provisions in the Pathogens Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex, Africa risks repeating the vaccine and treatment inequities seen during COVID-19. The PABS system is...

Public Health Beyond the Spotlight — Lessons from Madagascar

Public health systems across Africa continue to face increasing pressure as multiple crises emerge simultaneously, particularly in regions that often receive less global attention. Recent developments in Madagascar highlight how environmental, infectious and systemic challenges can converge, placing significant strain on already fragile health systems. Madagascar is currently grappling with...

Let’s Learn: South Africa Takes Local Production of HIV Prevention into Its Own Hands

On 5 March 2026, South Africa announced plans to produce lenacapavir locally, a long-acting HIV prevention drug originally developed by Gilead Sciences. Lenacapavir is a twice-yearly injection that has shown near-complete effectiveness in preventing HIV, making it one of the most promising tools in reducing infections, particularly in high-burden...

Let’s Talk: Strengthening Health Security Across Africa

Health threats don’t respect borders, and neither should our response. On 5 March 2026, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS) signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen collaboration in infectious disease control, research, and public health...

Onchocerciasis – Protecting Eyesight and Public Health in Africa

Onchocerciasis also known as river blindness, remains a public health concern for millions of people living near rivers and wetlands in Africa. While often associated with rural communities, its impact is widespread, affecting livelihoods, education, and community wellbeing. River blindness is caused by a parasitic worm transmitted through the bite...

Africa’s Path Toward Self-Financing Healthcare

African health systems are at a critical crossroads. We can no longer be at the mercy of external donors for our own health. Sustainable, resilient healthcare must be built and financed from within the continent. In April 2025, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) unveiled a...

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR STIGMA BREAKERS!

The ICASA Storytelling Video Competition was launched by the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) to celebrate its 35th anniversary and amplify the voices of people living with HIV across the continent and diaspora. The competition invited people living with HIV to share their personal journeys through video storytelling,...

South Africa launches bid to enable local production of long-acting HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir

Unitaid and USP provide technical and market support to strengthen regional manufacturing and supply resilience The Government of South Africa today announced that it is engaging with Gilead Sciences to pursue an agreement that would enable local production of lenacapavir, a revolutionary long-acting HIV prevention drug. As part of this...