23% of South Africa’s children suffer from severe hunger: we tested some solutions – experts: A 2024 Unicef report found that 23% of South African children experience severe food poverty, eating less than two of the recommended five food groups per day. Unemployment, food insecurity, limited access to basic services and a lack of knowledge …
Killers with severe mental health issues are perceived as monsters – a terrible failure of academics like me: According to an investigation by Hundred Families, a charity that supports and advocates for families affected by mental health homicides, each year an average of 65 mentally ill people carry out killings. Between 2018-2023, 390 mental health …
Storm Ciarán is breaking records and research suggests more severe weather in future: Storm Ciarán made landfall in south-west England and northern France overnight on November 1, with heavy rain and winds blowing up to 180 kilometers per hour (108 mph). The UK Met Office names storms each winter season, which starts in early September, …
Johannesburg has been hit by severe water shortages: new plan to manage the crisis isn’t the answer: Johannesburg and its surrounds, at the centre of the industrial heartland of South Africa, have been hit by severe water cuts. Water interruptions have been happening for years, but they have been scaled up dramatically in recent weeks. …
Science shows the severe climate consequences of new fossil fuel extraction: An offshore drilling platform. Mike Mareen/Shutterstock The world has just suffered through its warmest month ever recorded. Heatwaves have swept across southern Europe, the US and China, breaking many temperature records in the process. Climate scientists have been sounding the alarm for decades that …
Air pollution can increase the risk of COVID infection and severe disease – a roundup of what we know: Tatiana Grozetskaya/Shutterstock The early part of the COVID pandemic led to a significant reduction in air pollution in many parts of the world. With lockdowns, travel restrictions and decreased economic activity, there was a noticeable drop …
Cuba: why record numbers of people are leaving as the most severe economic crisis since the 1990s hits — a photo essay: Record numbers of Cubans are fleeing their country as the island suffers its worst socio-economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The number of Cubans seeking entry to the US, mostly …
High blood pressure linked to 22% greater risk of severe COVID – new research: pikselstock/Shutterstock From early on in the pandemic it was apparent that older adults and those with underlying health problems were more likely to get very sick from a COVID infection compared with younger, healthier people. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is …
Cold homes increase the risk of severe mental health problems – new study: Concerns about fuel poverty and people not being able to heat their homes adequately are not new in the UK, but these worries have been heightened by significant increases in energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis. And as winter approaches, things are …
New cases of severe long COVID appear to be dropping – and vaccination is probably key: fizkes/Shutterstock The term “long COVID” is used to describe symptoms or illness that continue for more than four weeks after a positive COVID test or the original onset of symptoms. Some examples include an ongoing loss of taste or …
COVID vaccines work well for people of all body weights – but underweight and obesity remain risk factors for severe disease: Wulandari Wulandari/Shutterstock Since the pandemic began, more than 6 million people have died from COVID around the world. The good news is that we now have a wide range of treatments as well as …
COVID reinfections could be more severe for some – but overall evidence doesn’t give us cause for concern: Photoroyalty/Shutterstock The COVID pandemic has been going on for well over two years now. During this time, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) has slowly mutated, allowing it to evade the immune system enough to infect people …
Severe COVID is equivalent to 20 years of ageing – new study: Hyejin Kang Severe COVID results in cognitive impairment similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent of losing ten IQ points, our latest research shows. The effects are still detectable more than six months after the …
COVID: risk of severe disease could be in your blood, new research finds: MarySan/Shutterstock Multiple factors play a role in complex diseases like COVID, and knowing what they are is important for predicting how different people will be affected. Early on in the pandemic, being older, overweight or smoking were identified as increasing your risk …
Repeated severe storms can cause seabirds to starve – but we still don’t know why: Nick Edge / shutterstock The large colonies of seabirds that live on the coasts of Britain and Ireland have just been battered by three storms in one week: Dudley, Eunice and now Franklin. So what do storms like these mean …
Why Storm Eunice is so severe – and will violent wind storms become more common?: Porthcawl Lighthouse in South Wales is buffeted by waves during Storm Eunice's approach. Leighton Collins/Shutterstock The UK Met Office has issued two red weather warnings in as many months for strong winds. These are the highest threat levels meteorologists can …
Why does omicron appear to cause less severe disease than previous variants?: Kamil Macniak/Shutterstock As soon as omicron was first identified in Botswana and South Africa, two key questions arose: whether this new variant was more infectious than earlier ones, and whether it caused more or less severe disease. It’s clear from how rapidly the …
South Africa in the news: The vaccines work against severe disease. Here’s why boosters are still a good idea: Vaccines still do a solid job at warding off hospitalization from omicron. So if you’re young and healthy, why get a booster? Scientists explain how boosters help and the best timing to get one.: “South Africa” …