Mandy Collins

Mandy Collins is a South African journalist and content writer who developed a strong interest in health journalism at the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. She is passionate about health journalism that is evidence-based, and which gives ordinary people the tools they need to make informed health decisions.

From compost to clinic: the fungus that could let Africa design its own vaccines at a dollar a dose

A South African team has turned a fungus pulled from compost into a vaccine platform that’s cheap, scalable and built so that Africa can design its own vaccines, rather than just packaging those made elsewhere.

29 Jun 2026

7 min read