Cape Town, Feb 8 - Respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, are the biggest killers of children under five years old. But standard antibiotic therapy, given to children with zinc, improved their chances of surviving the infection and was more pronounced in case of HIV-infected children, a study reveals.

Cape Town, Nov 3 - A mother's constant touch is vital for the well being of a newborn but the practice of separation immediately after birth could be stressful.

The current practice is to separate the newborn and place it in a separate crib so the mother can rest following labour. This practice may stress the baby, says new research.

Cape Town, Oct 13 - The insecticide bendiocarb not only dramatically lowers malaria transmission, but also offers hope for minimising spread of the deadly infection.

Scientists with Benin's Entomologic Research Center in Cotonou, Western Africa, evaluated the effects of bendiocarb in homes throughout the country over an eight-month period in 2009.

Johannesburg, Sep 27 - Traditional healers in South Africa now refer critically ill patients to modern doctors as there were certain illnesses they could not cure due to superior technology found in hospitals, state-run news agency BuaNews said.

Frank Chauke, chairman of the Mopani Traditional Healers in northern Limpopo province, said traditional healers should not be motivated by money.

Pretoria, July 28: A top South African health official has emphasised the importance of circumcision to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV, the official BuaNews agency reported.

Ntombi Mekgwe, member of the Executive Council for Health and Social Development, has asked local tribal leaders and health professionals to work together to ensure safer circumcision of young men.

A group of 30 boys became the first in the country to undergo traditional circumcision under the guidance of the department of health.

Pretoria, July 27 - More than 13 million people have tested for HIV in South Africa since the launch of counselling facilities in April 2010, the official BuaNews reported.

Among the 13 million, 65 percent are female and 30 percent are male adults.

Launched by President Jacob Zuma, the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign aims to promote testing, and encourage people to know their HIV status and be screened for tuberculosis.

Among the country's nine provinces, Gauteng province is among the top for the most people tested for HIV, with over three million.

Cape Town, July 12 : An extract of the poisonous shrub Jatropha curcas acts as a strong painkiller and may function in a different way than morphine and other pharmaceuticals.

Jatropha curcas, also known as the "physic nut", is a perennial shrub that grows to five meters in height. It is native to Central America but grows widely in Africa and Asia.

Pretoria, June 15: South African scientists, who launched a 24-month trial to confirm the efficacy of a microbicide gel that would reduce the risk of women getting HIV, have found an unexpected spin-off – it also boosts sexual pleasure.

Wits professor Helen Rees, of the university''s reproductive health and HIV institute, said the R300m trial would involve about 2,200 sexually active women at seven locations countrywide.

London, Jan 28: South Africa's battle against Aids is being threatened with a street drug called `Whoonga', which is a cocktail that includes the antiretroviral (ARV) medication prescribed to people with HIV.

Users crush the ARVs and smoke them with a mixture of rat poison, detergent and marijuana to get high, and the powder is said to be so addictive that users get hooked within days.

Durban, Dec 22 - Believe it or not, men are allowed to take part in a South Africa harvest festival only if they are circumcised. This is an effort to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The annual "first fruit ceremony" involves a bull that is beaten to death in a sacrificial ritual. This year some 10,000 males participated and all of them were circumcised. The men came from the KwaZulu-Natal region.

Durban, April 10: Over two million men will be circumcised in South Africa in a bid to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, a report said.

The project will be launched Sunday in KwaZulu-Natal region by King Goodwill Zwelithini, Premier Zweli Mkhize was quoted as saying by BuaNews Friday.

The initiative has received overwhelming support from HIV activists and the medical fraternity, the premier said while presenting the Royal Household Budget.

Durban, April 9 : In an effort to combat the scourge of HIV and Aids, over two million men will be circumcised in South Africa's eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, BuaNews reported Friday.

The premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, Zweli Mkhize, said Thursday this initiative had received overwhelming support from HIV activists and the medical fraternity.

The process will begin April 11.

Johannesburg - The world's first organ transplants from an HIV-positive donor to HIV-positive recipients took place in Cape Town recently, South Africa's Mail & Guardian weekly newspaper reported Friday.

Two kidney transplants were carried out at Cape Town's Groote Schuur hospital in September, the paper reported.

Johannesburg - South Africa's health department urged South Africans not to panic as the death toll from a highly contagious mystery disease with flu-like symptoms in Johannesburg reached four.

The first patient to succumb to the disease that has centred around the private Morningside Medi-Clinic in the city's moneyed Sandton district was a Zambian woman.

The woman was critically ill on being brought to South Africa for treatment.

Johannesburg, June 8 : Nearly 25 pct of South Africans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), says a leading psychiatrist.

Dr Eugene Allers, psychiatrist and former-president of the South African Society of Psychiatry (Sasop) revealed that up to six million South Africans suffer from PTSD and the country has become a "breeding ground" for psychiatric problems, reports News24.

Out of the 25 pct, nearly a third of these people are between the 30 and 40 years of age.