Biénne Huisman

Cape Town

Journalist and Writer at Freelance

Are we there yet ? writer ~ @SundayTimesZA @BBC @City_Press @SpotlightNSP @DailyMaverick ~ @CheveningFCDO Scholar 2016/2017. ⭐️

Articles

Study brings hope to newborns left behind in HIV treatment advances

1 week ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Biénne Huisman

SPOTLIGHT Professor Adrie Bekker explains the findings of a study on two novel formulations for the administration of dolutegravir in babies born to mothers living with HIV. (Photo: Biénne Huisman / Spotlight) Research led by Professor Adrie Bekker is paving the way for an important HIV medicine to be made available to neonates in a way that is both safe and much more convenient than previous options. Spotlight met the passionate clinician-scientist at her office in Cape Town. Two new ways of...
Cape Town study brings hope to newborns left behind in HIV treatment advances

2 weeks ago | spotlightnsp.co.za | Biénne Huisman

Professor Adrie Bekker explains the findings of a study on two novel formulations for the administration of dolutegravir in babies born to mothers living with HIV. (Photo: Biénne Huisman/Spotlight) News & Features30th April 2025 | Biénne Huisman Research led by Professor Adrie Bekker is paving the way for an important HIV medicine to be made available to neonates in a way that is both safe and much more convenient than previous options.
Cape Town study brings hope to newborns left behind in HIV treatment advances

2 weeks ago | ewn.co.za | Biénne Huisman

Two new ways of giving the important HIV medicine dolutegravir to newborn babies have been found to be safe and effective, according to new research done in Cape Town. The new findings support for the first time the broader use of dolutegravir in infants who are less than 28 days old. Dolutegravir is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for infants, children and adults and is the preferred HIV medicine in South Africa.
New research challenges thinking on the places where TB is transmitted

3 weeks ago | spotlightnsp.co.za | Biénne Huisman

Recent data indicates that casual interactions in social places contribute significantly to the spread of TB. (Photo: Tumisu/Pixabay) News & Features7th April 2025 | Biénne Huisman For centuries, it was believed that tuberculosis spread primarily when a vulnerable person spends hours in a poorly ventilated space with someone infectious. But new findings suggest that much TB transmission also occurs through casual contact.
Inside government’s confused response to the US funding crisis

4 weeks ago | spotlightnsp.co.za | Catherine Tomlinson |Siyabonga Kamnqa |Elri Voigt |Biénne Huisman

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: Kopano Tlape/GCIS) News & Features17th April 2025 | Jesse Copelyn In late-January, the US suspended billions of dollars worth of international aid, including for HIV-related programmes in South Africa. The South African government could have responded by triggering an emergency funding mechanism but has failed to do so yet.
New research challenges thinking on the places where TB is transmitted

1 month ago | timeslive.co.za | Biénne Huisman

NEW THEORIES Recent data indicates that casual interactions in social places contribute significantly to the spread of TB. Stock photo. For centuries, it was believed that tuberculosis spread primarily when a vulnerable person spends hours in a poorly ventilated space with someone infectious. But new findings suggest that much TB transmission also occurs through casual contact.
New research challenges thinking on the places where TB is transmitted

1 month ago | timeslive.co.za | Biénne Huisman

NEW THEORIES Recent data indicates that casual interactions in social places contribute significantly to the spread of TB. For centuries, it was believed that tuberculosis spread primarily when a vulnerable person spends hours in a poorly ventilated space with someone infectious. But new findings suggest that much TB transmission also occurs through casual contact.
New research challenges thinking on the places that TB is transmitted

1 month ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Biénne Huisman

For centuries, it was believed that tuberculosis spread primarily when a vulnerable person spent hours in a poorly ventilated space with someone who was infectious. But new findings suggest that much TB transmission also occurs through casual contact. Conventional thinking held that enclosed spaces such as households, prisons, and shelters, where people spent long periods of time together, were where most TB transmission took place.
HIV prevention project takes services to Cape Town schools

1 month ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Biénne Huisman

SPOTLIGHT Elzette Rousseau from the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation told attendees at the top HIV conference in the US about a project taking HIV prevention services to schools in Cape Town. Biénne Huisman visited one of the sites to find out how it works.
'We’ll come to you': HIV prevention project takes services to schools in Cape Town

1 month ago | timeslive.co.za | Biénne Huisman

Digital influencer Zuki Lamani and peer navigator Nkululeko Ndakisa. Elzette Rousseau from the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation told attendees at the top HIV conference in the United States about a project taking HIV prevention services to schools in Cape Town. Biénne Huisman visited one of the sites to find out how it works.