Not that Rust is a particularly clear language of course

After a few weeks of playing with Claude Code, writing Rust code from scratch feels like waking up from an extended fever dream. Suddenly things are clear and concrete again.

We covered the US research funding cuts and their impact on SA in some detail last year. I’m glad we could circle back to it.

When are uncontrolled trials in TB scientifically and ethically justified: Borrowing wisdom from early AIDS clinical trials

✅ Just Accepted
🔗 https://bit.ly/4bPWGTk

Ramaphosa’s choice of Director-General for Health will test his commitment to building a capable state When push comes to shove, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s talk of building a more capable state hasn’t always been backed up by the appointment of committed and capable people to key government positions. His decision regarding a new Director-General for health will say a lot about how serious he actually is about addressing the country’s many health challenges, argues Spotlight editor Marcus Low.

MOOD MUSIC | The health department needs a world-class manager. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision for a new Director-General will say a lot about how serious he is about fixing our many health challenges, argues Spotlight editor @marcuslowx.bsky.social.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/04/10/r...

What breakthrough weight loss meds might mean for people with HIV In part 3 of a Spotlight special series on the role of new weight loss medicines like Ozempic in South Africa, we ask what these breakthrough jabs might mean for people living with HIV in the country....

OUR BIG READ | Despite the urgent need for new tools to tackle obesity and weight-related illness in people with HIV, there has been very little research to date on GLP-1 use in people with HIV.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/04/08/w...

Moonlighting, money and morals in a looted health system The Department of Health allows some public sector doctors and nurses to moonlight in the private sector, but the relevant policy and its implementation caused much controversy over the years. Set aga...

Some healthcare workers in the public sector are allowed to moonlight in the private sector under certain conditions. But amid broader management dysfunction, many are bending these rules to avoid backlash.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/04/07/m...

How criminal cops escape justice Delmore Manuel, Jermaine Conradie, and Leigh-Ann Maroon are getting away with torture

CCTV footage shows police officers repeatedly assaulting a Mowbray barber, Juma Igiranieza. Yet, two years later – some of the officers involved – have not only escaped justice, they remain on active duty.

Read groundup.org.za/article/how-... by GroundUp Editors

Diagnostic Yield of Tongue Swab- Compared to Sputum-Based Molecular Testing for Tuberculosis in Four High-Burden Countries

✅ Just Accepted
🔗 https://bit.ly/4dNKt2M

Are We Ready for the Gift Tongues Can Give to TB?

✅ Just Accepted
🔗 https://bit.ly/4dfHkIU

Much of what we know about asymptomatic TB in one accessible briefing.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Are there appropriate sanctions for non-compliance with medicines legislation in South Africa? The sale of illegal medicines is a significant threat to public safety. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray asks whether the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has the ne...

#InsideTheBox | The sale of illegal medicines is a significant threat to public safety. Does the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority have the necessary tools to provide protection in this area, asks Dr Andy Gray in his latest column.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/31/i...

Flu season is here, with experts keeping a close eye on new flu strain Many regions in the Northern Hemisphere experienced a slightly earlier start to their flu season, driven in some part by a novel variant of influenza A(H3N2). As our flu season also kicks off slightly...

FLU | As the flu season kicks off slightly earlier than usual, Spotlight asks experts what we might expect from this year's season and what we know about a new flu strain that's making the rounds.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/04/01/f...
@elri-voigt.bsky.social @tuliodna.bsky.social

Well over three million people in SA develop depression every year, researchers estimate Around 3.8 million people in South Africa developed depression in 2024, estimate leading local researchers in a major new modelling study.

DEPRESSION IN SA | Around 3.8 million people in South Africa developed depression in 2024, estimate leading local researchers in a major new modelling study.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/25/w...

To eliminate TB, we need to make testing more accessible and affordable New TB tests have massive potential for South Africa’s struggle to get to grips with the age-old disease. Making the most of these new tests will require both ambition and smart implementation, argue ...

ELIMINATING TB | New TB tests have massive potential for South Africa’s struggle to get to grips with the disease. Utilising them will require both ambition and smart implementation, argue Dr Gaurang Tanna and Dr Yogan Pillay.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/19/t...
@gatesfoundation.bsky.social

A fascinating long read for World TB Day #tbsky @stoptb.bsky.social @madhupai.bsky.social @treatmentactiongroup.org @tomscriba.bsky.social

Global health infrastructure is changing, why getting it right matters for SA Funding cuts over the last year or so have created a crisis for multilateral health institutions. Which institutions emerge from this crisis, and in what form, will have real consequences for the heal...

MUST READ | The opportunity is ripe to craft new and more fit-for-purpose multilateral health institutions animated by a shared commitment to human rights, argues @marcuslowx.bsky.social in an article jointly published with @healthpolicywatch.bsky.social.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/11/g...

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...

Through dust and carrying steel, Maryke Bezuidenhout takes care to people with disabilities in KZN’s rural corners Maryke Bezuidenhout is constantly on the road in rural, northern KwaZulu-Natal visiting and helping people with disabilities where they live. As part of Spotlight’s new Rural Health Heroes series, wri...

RURAL HEALTH HEROES | Maryke Bezuidenhout has been standing up for the underdog. Moses Mthembu was once told he’d never walk again. They travel from homestead to homestead fixing wheelchairs, reseating growing children, and support to people with disabilities.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/03/05/t...

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...

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...

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

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...

Another very informative piece from Andy Gray.

Spotlight’s top 9 health stories to watch in 2026 From the limited rollout of a new HIV prevention jab to developments with new weight loss medicines, to high-stakes court cases relating to National Health Insurance (NHI), 2026 is set to be another t...

MUST READ | With several important developments on the horizon, 2026 is set to be another eventful year in healthcare. Here are nine stories that Spotlight will keep a close eye on.

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/01/19/s...

We should not be playing war games with Iran, Russia and China Repressive regimes should have no place in our military strategy

The Will for Peace 2026 joint naval exercise between South Africa, China, Russia, and Iran, which started in Simon’s Town last weekend, is a bad idea.

Read groundup.org.za/article/we-s... by GroundUp Editors

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We systematically reviewed molecular epidemiology studies looking at strain discordance in pairs of people with TB disease and history of household contact

We found 30 studies from 18 countries. Excluding 4 studies at high risk of bias, we had data on 1544 household case pairs

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TIMELINE | The journey of HIV through science, struggle, activism, and hope From the first reported cases of HIV in 1981 to the latest breakthroughs in long-acting prevention, this Spotlight timeline traces key moments in the global and South African response to the virus. It...

HISTORY OF HIV | Have a look at our interactive timeline that highlights scientific milestones, political controversies, activism, and the human stories that shaped one of the most significant public health challenges of our time.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/11/25/a...

Kaplan–Meier curves for 6-month survival according to treatment group and HIV status.

Tuberculous meningitis is often fatal, and current therapies need to be improved. In the HARVEST phase 3 trial, high-dose rifampin plus standard treatment was assessed. Full trial results: nej.md/49iiDsQ

#MedSky #NeuroSky #IDSky