8 April 2025
Background: Radiotherapy is a critical component of effective cancer treatment, yet access remains limited in many low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa. This study explores structural quality indicators influencing radiotherapy ac...
Background: Globally, mental disorders are common among nursing students; therefore, effective prevention and early detection are urgently needed. However, the prevalence rate of anxiety symptoms has not been investigated in South African nursing col...
The study determined the antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella on chickens processed and retailed at outlets of the informal markets in Gauteng province, South Africa. The study also investigated the relationship of antimicrobial resistant...
The change in land-use diversity is attributed to the anthropogenic factors sustaining life. The surface water bodies and other crucial natural resources in the study area are being depleted at an alarming rate. This study explored the implications o...
8 March 2021
Background: In addition to increasing access to fresh and affordable produce, home gardening enhances food security. This notwithstanding, there is no evidence of studies that have investigated factors correlated with home gardening in Gauteng Provin...
27 October 2021
Background: Rat infestation is a major public health issue globally, and particularly in poor urban communities in South Africa. Rats pose significant threats to residents in the form of disease spread and sustained physical injuries. The dearth of k...
Electric vehicles (EVs) were introduced into the South African market in 2013, and their adoption rate has been very low. There are limited existing studies covering consumer perceptions towards EVs in Africa and, thus, this study investigated possib...
18 January 2016
Radiological hazards associated with exposure to Naturally Occurring Radionuclides Materials from gold mine tailings in the province of Gauteng in South Africa were evaluated. A comparison was made with soil samples from a control area. In this study...
Background: Midwives in South African public hospitals, particularly in Gauteng Province, operate in high-pressure environments where adverse events (AEs) such as maternal deaths can occur despite best practices [...]
There are major concerns globally on the increasing population of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and their environmental impact. The initiatives for the advancement of alternative propulsion systems, such as electric motors, have great opp...
The practise of geophagy is common amongst women of childbearing age from different geographic locations, including South Africa, regardless of their social and economic status such as their level of education, race, marital status, income or occupat...
Bovine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of global public health and economic importance. South Africa has had a national bovine brucellosis eradication scheme since 1979; however, no published report on elimination progress from any province exists....
Background/Objectives: Women of reproductive age are reported to be the largest population that practises geophagia. The short-term and long-term health related conditions originating from the practise of geophagia are often not understood by geophag...
Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a significant and entrenched issue affecting various aspects of daily life. Entrenched within South African institutions, cultures, and traditions, GBV disproportionately impacts women and girls, exacer...
Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right for all people, including refugees and asylum seekers. Despite the provision in the Refugee Act of South Africa, which allows refugees to enjoy the same access to health services as the citizens of th...
Background/Objectives: The growing intersection between nyaope use and HIV infection constitutes a critical public health problem that undermines efforts to achieve universal access to HIV treatment in South Africa. Nyaope use is strongly associated...
Invasive Rattus species are carriers of haemotropic Mycoplasmas (haemoplasmas) globally, but data from Africa are lacking. Using a PCR-sequencing approach, we assessed haemoplasma prevalence and diversity in kidney and buccal swabs collected from thr...
23 November 2022
This study focused on determining the level of environmental education knowledge and skills among primary school learners in South Africa, under the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12. Environmental education is important in the promotion of s...
Geophagy is an ancient widespread practice that is common amongst women of childbearing age globally. Geophagy is one of the leading causes of iron deficiency and pregnancy complications amongst women of childbearing age resulting in maternal, neonat...
South African agriculture accounts for 62% of the national water demand. Almost 45% of the water is wasted. Therefore, irrigation systems need to improve their water-use efficiency (WUE). However, the WUE of smallholder irrigation schemes in the coun...
In environment-nature discourse, determinants of environmental perceptions and attitudes vary significantly making it difficult to draw generalisations on their significance for particular locales. In this paper, we explore the key socio-demographic...
23 October 2023
Urbanisation in South Africa has led to a nutritional transition from traditional diets (mainly based on indigenous foods) to a Western diet. Currently, the country is one of the most concerned about the prevalence of associated malnutrition and non-...
Leptospira was investigated in kidneys (n = 305) from slaughtered livestock in the Gauteng Province abattoirs, South Africa, using a culture medium to isolate Leptospira, followed by the LipL32 qPCR to detect Leptospira DNA. The SecY gene region was...
South Africa developed the differentiated service delivery (DSD) model to improve access to healthcare for people living with HIV (PLHIV), especially key populations (KPs) including female sex workers (FSWs) who often face barriers in accessing HIV s...
The proper management of a municipal water system is essential to sustain cities and support the water security of societies. Urban water estimating has always been a challenging task for managers of water utilities and policymakers. This paper appli...
There are genuine worldwide concerns regarding the contribution of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Passenger electric vehicles (EVs) are considered as a viable solution to the rapidly increasing global GHG...
The mining and processing of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) could result in elevated levels of natural radionuclides in the environment. The gold mining in the goldfields of the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa has resulted in n...
2 November 2023
Radon in dwellings is recognized as the primary source of natural radiation exposure to members of the public. In the West Rand District and Soweto in the Gauteng Province (South Africa), indoor radon (222Rn) mapping was carried out to assess the exp...
Migratory birds carried clade 2.3.4.4B H5Nx highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses to South Africa in 2017, 2018 and 2021, where the Gauteng Province is a high-risk zone for virus introduction. Here, we combined environmental faecal samplin...
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread morbidity and mortality, but generally, the diagnosis of other respiratory viruses was lim...
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used for the genomic characterization of one hundred and ten strains of Listeria innocua (L. innocua) isolated from twenty-three cattle farms, eight beef abattoirs, and forty-eight retail outlets in Gauteng prov...
Abattoir workers are liable to zoonotic infections from animals and animal products, primarily to diseases with asymptomatic and chronic clinical manifestations in animals, such as brucellosis. No published reports exist on the seroprevalence of bruc...
Introduction: Eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV is a global health priority to ensure that no child is born with HIV. When EMTCT services are underutilized, mothers and babies face greater risks, including the vertical transmiss...
The study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics analysis for the genomic characterization of 60 isolates of Listeria monocytogenes obtained from the beef production chain (cattle farms, abattoirs, and retail outlets) in Gauteng provin...
2 October 2023
Condoms have been and are still an important part of HIV preventative measures worldwide, and many countries have designed programmes that encourage their use. Consistent and correct condom use among HIV-positive individuals is important in preventin...
Rainfall variability is expected to change the soil water regime thereby impacting negatively on rangeland species composition, productivity and ecosystem services. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of different intensities of rainfall r...
8 July 2020
The windy season brings numerous community complaints for gold mining companies situated in the Witwatersrand due to windblown dust from partially rehabilitated tailings storage facilities (TSFs). For communities encroaching onto TSFs, windblown dust...
13 January 2017
The ubiquitous occurrence of emerging micropollutants (EMPs) in water is an issue of growing environmental-health concern worldwide. However, there remains a paucity of data regarding their levels and occurrence in water. This study determined the oc...
12 August 2021
River water quality is an important health issue as the water is utilised for drinking, domestic and agricultural use in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the effect water from a major city has on the water quality of the Jukskei...
In developing countries, the livelihoods of millions of households heavily rely on wild fruit products to meet their basic needs. With its many nutritious assets, Mimusops zeyheri could, therefore, be valued as a natural resource for fighting hunger,...
Effective water infrastructure planning and management is key to sustainable water supply globally. This research assesses water infrastructure planning and management in Gauteng, South Africa, amid growing challenges from rapid urbanisation, high wa...
The use of technology in healthcare settings was identified as a crucial priority in many countries to provide quality healthcare services. eHealth or digital health technology is found to have a positive influence on improving the efficiency and qua...
Background: Leukemia, a hematologic malignancy, is the major fluid tumor. However, there is a paucity in laboratory characterization in South Africa due to limited diagnostic infrastructure. Chromosomal aberrations play a crucial role in leukemia pat...
Seriphium plumosum L. is an indigenous unpalatable shrub that occurs in fire-prone semi-arid South African grassland areas, yet research proposes the use of fire to control its encroachment of rangelands. This study investigated the interaction effec...
The town of Krugersdorp in South Africa is the locus of an important wildlife game reserve, the Krugersdorp Game Reserve (KGR), which is juxtaposed by the (<1000 m) down-gradient of the large-scale gold mining outfits of Mintails Mogale Gold (MMG)...
Background: Long waiting times have a negative impact on patients, including loss of income, reduced medication adherence, the risk of drug resistance, and deterioration of their health [...]
Background: Patients’ satisfaction has always been used to measure the effectiveness of healthcare delivery, whilst the perspectives of healthcare professionals on overall healthcare quality and the challenges they experience are rarely conside...
The indispensable nature of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in agricultural systems is of worldwide concern, hence the need for surveillance studies to preserve public health. Thirteen dairy farms were surveyed and 40 dairy feeds of varying nature col...
Appropriate feeding practices are protective against malnutrition and poor growth. We compared feeding practices and growth in HIV-exposed-uninfected (HEU) and HIV-unexposed-uninfected (HUU) between 6-12 months of age in urbanized African infants in...
Background: Key populations (KPs), particularly female sex workers (FSWs), continue to face significant barriers in accessing HIV-related healthcare services in South Africa. Structural challenges have historically hindered equitable HIV treatment ac...
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