The next step for how science can boost healthcare in Africa is ‘implementation science’ — working out how best to apply research findings and provide services — according to Rwanda’s former Minister of Health and a senior policymaker in the South African government.

Personalised medicine for South Africans is a step closer‚ with the announcement on Wednesday that the African Genomics Centre is under construction in Cape Town.

Glenda Gray‚ president of the South African Medical Research Council — which will host the centre — said it “propels South Africa into a new era of medical research and means that we join a small‚ but growing‚ group of countries that are pioneering this type of innovation”.

One of South Africa’s many complex challenges involves fixing and improving its education system. As part of this, the government has come up with a national strategy for three crucial teaching and learning areas: mathematics, science and technology. The aim is to strengthen how the subjects are taught using curricular methods and learning support materials.

With fewer than 95 days left before they run dry, Cape Town might become the first major city in the world to run out of water.

There are a number of discussions to be had about women scientists in Africa: why there are so few, for instance; or how more can be drawn into science, technology, engineering and maths careers. And, crucially, how can existing women researchers be retained once they’ve embarked on scientific careers – particularly when they have become mothers?

Drawing from data collected for years by AIDS researchers in six African nations, scientists have pinpointed seven bacterial species whose presence in high concentrations may significantly increase the risk of HIV infection in women.

THERE have been 748 confirmed cases of listeriosis in South Africa in the past year, making it the largest ever outbreak. So far, 67 people have died.

Listeriosis infections are caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, usually in contaminated food such as raw meat and poultry, unwashed vegetables, and dairy products. It can lead to meningitis or blood poisoning in newborn infants, older people, and people with compromised immune systems. Infection during pregnancy can cause miscarriage.