Podcasts – NICD

Dr Vuyiswa Kumalo and Dr Saffiya Discuss Public Health Outbreaks

Koketso Matjane — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:18:35 +0000

Dr Vuyiswa Kumalo and Dr Saffiya Umar, medical officers at the NICD’s Division of Public Health, Surveillance and Response, share insights into what it really takes to respond swiftly, strategically, and effectively when outbreaks strike.

Listen to the podcast: Outbreak response – Microbe Mail.

Prof. Anne von Gottberg on the New COVID-19 Strain in China (Podcast)

Siyabonga Mbatha — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:34:14 +0000

Prof. Anne von Gottberg, Principal Pathologist at the NICD, joins Moneyweb@Midday to unpack what this new strain means for South Africa and whether we should be concerned.

Listen to the podcast: New Covid strain fuelling hospitalisations in China: Are we at risk? – Moneyweb

From Bite to Brain: Revealing Rabies (Podcast)

Siyabonga Mbatha — Mon, 19 May 2025 11:26:36 +0000

Rabies turns trusted companions into a deadly threat, one that doesn’t play by the rules and rarely leaves survivors. In this episode of the Microbiology & Infectious Diseases podcast, Ruan speaks with Professor Lucille Blumberg about the virus that continues to challenge public health systems across the globe.

They unpack how rabies is diagnosed, the realities of case management, and why prevention remains our best line of defence. With decades of experience in outbreak response and zoonotic disease control, Prof. Blumberg brings essential insight into one of the world’s most feared infections.

Listen to the podcast: https://microbemail.captivate.fm/episode/from-bite-to-brain-revealing-rabies

Bloodstream Infections in South African Neonates: Insights from Experts (Podcast)

Siyabonga Mbatha — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 09:27:44 +0000

Half of all neonatal deaths occur in Africa, making infection prevention and treatment a critical public health priority. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2 aims to reduce neonatal mortality to fewer than 12 deaths per 1,000 live births—and South Africa is one of only five African countries to have met this target.

In a discussion with The Lancet Microbe, Dr. Susan Meiring, Dr. Vanessa Quan, and Prof. Nelesh Govender explore bloodstream infections in neonates at lower-tier South African hospitals. Their study, Pathogen aetiology and risk factors for death among neonates with bloodstream infections at lower-tier South African hospitals: a cross-sectional study, examines the causes and risk factors of these infections and their impact on neonatal survival.

Listen to the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1794195/episodes/16408969

Fungal Disease Awareness week 2020

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 08:22:10 +0000

Masterclass on Pandemics

Koketso Matjane — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 07:28:44 +0000

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases Head of Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, Prof Cheryl Cohen is at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. She is leading case-finding, case management and public health response coordination. Here she gives a masterclass on a Pandemics Masterclass in relation to the distribution of COVID-19, patterns and determinants of disease.

"A pandemic is a new disease that spreads throughout the world. This type of outbreak has bigger social, political, economic impact than the regular everyday outbreak."

Prof Cheryl Cohen, Head - Centre for respiratory diseases and meningitis: National Institute for Communicable Diseases

"The principle of containment would be firstly to identify the cases quickly and once you identify those cases quickly, you need to isolate them and prevent the type of contact that would cause onward spread"

Prof Cheryl Cohen, Head - Centre for respiratory diseases and meningitis: National Institute for Communicable Diseases

COVID-19: Returning back to work

admin — Thu, 07 May 2020 08:12:59 +0000

Following parts of the economy opening up while working to flatten the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) curve, proper precautions should be in place for the returning working population. This includes people who have recovered from COVID-19 infections. In a series of four interviews, Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani speaks about the measures that should be put in place to protect employees from COVID-19 and how should their return to work be managed.

Listen to the full interview on https://soundcloud.com/national-institute-for-communicable-diseases/returning-back-to-work-dr-ahmad-haeri-mazanderani-full-interview

World Malaria Day

Koketso Matjane — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 20:45:18 +0000

World Malaria Day takes place on 25 April each year. It is an internationally recognised day, highlighting the global efforts to control malaria and celebrate the gains that have been made. Since 2000, the world has made historic progress against malaria, saving millions of lives. However, half of the world still lives at risk from this preventable and treatable disease, which accounts for a child’s life every two minutes.

South Africa has made major progress in malaria control since 2000/2001 when 67 000 cases and >400 deaths were reported. The number of cases mentioned (>16 000 cases and >100 deaths by November 2018) refers to both malaria infections acquired locally within the traditional malaria transmission areas of South Africa, as well as other cases diagnosed in South Africa but who were infected on travels outside of the country. Around half of the patients acquired their infection outside South Africa, predominantly in Mozambique, which is a high-risk malaria-endemic country.

World Malaria Day presents an opportunity to raise awareness of the incredible opportunity we have to eliminate one of the oldest and deadliest diseases and save millions of lives and help communities thrive.

In keeping up with the current advances made towards malaria elimination, listen to these podcasts in English and in isiZulu.

To listen to the podcasts, click on the links below:

Dr Juno Thomas on Listeriosis

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:51:16 +0000

Fungal Disease Awareness week 2017

admin — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 09:36:20 +0000