Urban Health at the Edge: A Series on Reproductive Health and HIV in Inner-City Johannesburg

At the Heart of the Problem: Health in Johannesburg’s Inner-City

Authors: Helen Rees, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Fiona Scorgie, Stanley Luchters and Matthew F. Chersich

“Honey, Milk and Bile”: a social history of Hillbrow, 1894–2016

This commentary constructs a social history of Hillbrow, an inner-city suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa, based on a review of relevant published historical, anthropological and sociological texts. We highl...

Authors: Jonathan Stadler and Charles Dugmore

Sexual and reproductive health outcomes among female sex workers in Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa: Recommendations for public health programmes

The sexual and reproductive health (SRH) status of female sex workers is influenced by a wide range of demographic, behavioural and structural factors. These factors vary considerably across and even within se...

Authors: Mariette Slabbert, Francois Venter, Cynthia Gay, Corine Roelofsen, Samanta Lalla-Edward and Helen Rees

Attendance at antenatal clinics in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa and its associations with birth outcomes: analysis of data from birth registers at three facilities

Antenatal care (ANC) clinics serve as key gateways to screening and treatment interventions that improve pregnancy outcomes, and are especially important for HIV-infected women. By disaggregating data on acces...

Authors: Siphamandla Gumede, Vivian Black, Nicolette Naidoo and Matthew F. Chersich

Intersections between polyvictimisation and mental health among adolescents in five urban disadvantaged settings: the role of gender

Polyvictimisation (PV) – exposure to violence across multiple contexts – causes considerable morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Despite high levels of violence in urban disadvantaged settings, gender d...

Authors: Mphatso Kamndaya, Pedro T. Pisa, Matthew F. Chersich, Michele R. Decker, Adesola Olumide, Rajib Acharya, Yan Cheng, Heena Brahmbhatt and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe

From fear to resilience: adolescents’ experiences of violence in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa

For adolescents growing up in poor urban South African settings, violence is often a part of daily life and has lasting effects on physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. We conducted a qualitative s...

Authors: Fiona Scorgie, Deborah Baron, Jonathan Stadler, Emilie Venables, Heena Brahmbhatt, Kristin Mmari and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe

Alcohol use and sexual risk behaviour among men and women in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa

Alcohol misuse is a key factor underlying the remarkable vulnerability to HIV infection among men and women in sub-Saharan Africa, especially within urban settings. Its effects, however, vary by type of drinki...

Authors: Braimoh Bello, Harry Moultrie, Aleefia Somji, Matthew F. Chersich, Charlotte Watts and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe

‘Leaving no one behind’: reflections on the design of community-based HIV prevention for migrants in Johannesburg’s inner-city hostels and informal settlements

Unmanaged urban growth in southern and eastern Africa has led to a growth of informal housing in cities, which are home to poor, marginalised populations, and associated with the highest HIV prevalence in urba...

Authors: Fiona Scorgie, Jo Vearey, Monique Oliff, Jonathan Stadler, Emilie Venables, Matthew F. Chersich and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe

Analysing local-level responses to migration and urban health in Hillbrow: the Johannesburg Migrant Health Forum

Johannesburg is home to a diverse migrant population and a range of urban health challenges. Locally informed and implemented responses to migration and health that are sensitive to the particular needs of div...

Authors: Jo Vearey, Kirsten Thomson, Theresa Sommers and Courtenay Sprague

Is laboratory screening prior to antiretroviral treatment useful in Johannesburg, South Africa? Baseline findings of a clinical trial

Screening for renal, hepatic and haematological disorders complicates the initiation of current first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART). Each additional test done adds substantial costs, both through direct la...

Authors: Willem D. F. Venter, Mohammed Majam, Godspower Akpomiemie, Natasha Arulappan, Michelle Moorhouse, Nonkululeko Mashabane and Matthew F. Chersich

Prevalence of anogenital HPV infection, related disease and risk factors among HIV-infected men in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa: baseline findings from a cohort study

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is associated with the development of anogenital cancers, particularly in men living with HIV (MLWH). We describe the prevalence of anogenital HPV i...

Authors: Admire Chikandiwa, Lucy Chimoyi, Pedro T Pisa, Matthew F Chersich, Etienne E Muller, Pamela Michelow, Philippe Mayaud and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe

Using surrogate vaccines to assess feasibility and acceptability of future HIV vaccine trials in men: a randomised trial in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa

Developing an effective HIV vaccine is the overriding priority for HIV prevention research. Enrolling and maintaining cohorts of men into HIV vaccine efficacy trials is a necessary prerequisite for the develop...

Authors: Lucy Chimoyi, Mphatso Kamndaya, Emilie Venables, Nina von Knorring, Jonathan Stadler, Catherine MacPhail, Matthew F. Chersich, Helen Rees and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe