The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is a dynamic organisation, creating news in the field of diagnostic pathology and research every day. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), an institute of the NHLS, also alerts healthcare authorities and workers globally about infectious disease outbreaks requiring urgent and immediate attention.

Latest News

The Outbreak Response Unit of the NICD provides support to all provinces for outbreaks of epidemic infectious diseases.
For more information contact the unit on +27 (11) 386 0545.

  • Returning Travelers From Malaria Transmission Area

Malaria Outbreak In Tshwane District

February 1, 2012|

Malaria has been confirmed in 6 patients in Gauteng Province without a recent history of travel. These cases originate from two separate areas: 3 patients from Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, and 3 patients from a private [...]

  • Returning Travelers From Malaria Transmission Area

Cheap Drug Could Fight Malaria Transmission

July 14, 2011|

A cheap, common heartworm medication that is already being used to fight other parasites in Africa, could also dramatically interrupt transmission of malaria, potentially providing an inexpensive tool to fight a disease that kills almost [...]

  • Influenza Season Begins In South Africa

2011 Influenza Season Has Started

June 6, 2011|

The annual influenza season has started with cases being reported since the first week in May and a sharp rise in the past week. Although this is unusually early for influenza it does not necessarily [...]