| | Article | Dozens of mostly elderly women with walking sticks picketed at the gates of Nyanga Community Health Centre on Tuesday. They want the provincial health department to improve services and hire more doctors. Patients have been complaining about poor services at the clinic. They say that there are stock-outs on certain medications, there are long queues, and folders go missing. Last week, the Western Cape health department said officials are working to improve services “while trying to accommodate a growing community”. The communications officer said that “corrective measures to improve the quality of care to patients” would be put in place when complaints were reported. | 2023-05-17 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | GroundUp | https://www.groundup.org.za/article/gogos-protest-outside-nyanga-clinic-to-demand-better-service/ |
| | Article | The Limpopo health department has advised its residents to take precautions amid a malaria outbreak that has claimed the lives of two people in the province. In a statement, the department said there were 1,423 cases over the past two weeks. This, the department said, was relatively high. In the 2022/2023 financial year, there were 1,745 cases. | 2023-05-16 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Times Live | https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-05-16-limpopo-health-department-concerned-as-malaria-cases-rocket-and-two-die/ |
| | Article | About one in four South African adults are obese, and almost as many are overweight. Someone is considered heavily overweight when their body mass index is 25 or higher, and obese when this number reaches 30 or more. Body mass index is a number that tells you how your weight (in kilograms) relates to your height (in metres). But the problem with weighing much more than you should is about more than just what the scale says. Obesity is a massive public health problem — affecting more than 650-million people worldwide — because it also leads to other health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure (also called hypertension) and heart disease. | 2023-05-16 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Bhekisisa | https://bhekisisa.org/health-news-south-africa/2023-05-16-stricter-rules-why-better-food-regulations-will-help-us-fight-obesity/ |
| | Article | The mumps outbreak is affecting schooling in Botshabelo in the Free State, with at least 100 children testing positive. The Limpopo Health Department is urging parents to monitor symptoms. “Symptoms include headache, fever, malaise and loss of appetite. The glands near the ears swell resulting in puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. It causes severe pain. Such swelling usually lasts 2-3 days. We call on parents to seek medical attention if they notice these symptoms,” says department spokesperson Mondli Mvambi. | 2023-05-16 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/05/16/mumps-outbreak-schools-in-free-state-affected/ |
| | Article | Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria. It can be treated with antibiotics, but drug resistance is a growing concern. If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to serious complications, including chronic pain and infertility. Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STI in the United States, after chlamydia, and case numbers have doubled over the past decade. Gonorrhea rates are rising for both men and women and for most racial and ethnic groups. Young people ages 15 to 24 account for more than half of reported cases, and gay and bisexual men account for around one third. HIV-positive people with gonorrhea are more likely to transmit HIV, and HIV-negative people are more likely to acquire the virus. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | POZ | https://www.poz.com/article/gonorrhea |
| | Article | Scientists have found that a plastic sheet with a funnel-like pouch attached to the bottom edge can, along with a few other steps, cut life-threatening bleeding after vaginal births in hospitals by 60%. This is according to a study presented at the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference held in Cape Town last week. The research was also published in the New England Medical Journal. The piece of plastic, which researchers call a “drape”, is slid in underneath the patient and tied around her waist after she’s given birth. It collects blood in a pouch that hangs off the bottom end of the hospital bed — and it costs less than R30. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Bhekisisa | https://bhekisisa.org/health-news-south-africa/2023-05-15-5-steps-in-15-minutes-this-plastic-sheet-and-pouch-can-stop-thousands-of-women-from-dying-after-giving-birth/ |
| | Article | While HIV and tuberculosis (TB) rates in South Africa are slowly declining, indications are that rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes are on the rise. One response to this shift is to bring some of the strategies used in combatting HIV to NCDs. Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, has been described as a “silent killer” because there are often no symptoms associated with having it. Hypertension is when someone’s blood pressure is consistently higher than normal, which can lead to a host of complications, including stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/05/15/90-60-50-can-sa-reach-its-hypertension-targets/ |
| | Article | US regulators have approved a first-of-its-kind drug to treat hot flushes — a symptom that affects as many as 80% of people going through menopause — by targeting the neural pathways that give rise to them. The approval of fezolinetant (Veozah), announced on 12 May by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), provides a way to treat hot flushes without relying on hormone therapy. “A lot of us who work in women’s health are really excited,” says JoAnn Pinkerton, a gynaecologist at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville. “Breakthroughs in women’s health are so uncommon.” | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Nature | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01628-3 |
| | Article | Healthcare workers (HCWs) say targeted programmes to destigmatise mental illnesses and support mental health among HCWs after the COVID-19 pandemic is needed more than ever. They stress the need to debunk the stereotype that HCWs are strong heroes who don’t need mental health support. Under #Healthcareheroes, the South African Department of Health in 2020 and 2021 posted videos honouring HCWs who fought on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/05/15/healthcare-workers-we-are-humans/ |
| | Article | About one in 20 new type, 1 and type 2 diabetes cases could be linked to a previous or an ongoing Covid infection, according to a new study. Overall, people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were 17 per cent more likely to develop diabetes within 12 months of a coronavirus infection. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | The Standard | https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/health-science/article/2001472892/covid-19-infection-could-lead-to-diabetes-new-research-reveals |
| | Article | Despite low screening rates, 42% of South African female sex workers with HIV were found to have high-risk pap tests – meaning they showed signs of developing cervical cancer, the INTEREST 2023 conference in Maputo, Mozambique heard this week. "The prevalence of cervical cancer precursor lesions in this cohort of mostly HIV-positive sex workers was higher than the range reported for African women at 5-30%, with low screening uptake," said Dr Avania Bangalee from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Aidsmap | https://www.aidsmap.com/news/may-2023/over-40-prevalence-precancerous-cervical-lesions-among-female-sex-workers-hiv-south |
| | Article | Ghana has taken a remarkable step in the fight against malaria by becoming the first country in the world to approve the R21/Matrix-M vaccine. It’s poised to be highly effective in young children from 5 months to 36 months, the age group with the highest risk. The approval highlights the continued urgency required to combat this disease, which remains a significant threat to human health and a considerable social and economic burden. Low- and middle-income countries like Ghana record hundreds of thousands of malaria deaths each year. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 619,000 people globally died from malaria in 2021, 96% of them from vulnerable populations in Africa, where the disease is both endemic and perennial. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Stat News | https://www.statnews.com/2023/05/15/malaria-vaccine-africa-china/ |
| | Article | A federal jury ruled May 9 in favor of HIV drugmaker Gilead Sciences in a lawsuit brought by the federal government regarding patents over Truvada and Descovy used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV. In short, the jury ruled that Gilead has not infringed on patents of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and that the patents were invalid. For more about the case, see “Gilead ‘Won on All Counts’ in Billion-Dollar HIV PrEP Lawsuit.” On May 10, HIV activists with PrEP4All joined the Public Interest Patent Law Institute to release the below statement. | 2023-05-15 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | POZ | https://www.poz.com/article/prep4all-urges-us-government-doj-appeal-courts-hiv-patent-ruling-gilead |
| | Article | The nursing profession has taken centre stage as the world commemorates International Nurses Day. The day is commemorated on the birthday of Florence Nightingale who is the founder of modern-day nursing. Health Systems Trust CEO, Dr Themba Moeti joins us for more. | 2023-05-12 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | SABC News | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ie3dAkcZc |
| | Article | This International Nurses Day is bittersweet for many nurses working in South Africa’s public healthcare system. With the devastating shortage of nurses, ongoing wage battles, unsafe working conditions, and lack of resources, nurses say there is very little to celebrate. International Nurses Day celebrates and honours nurses for their role in saving millions of lives, the theme for this year is “Our Nurses, Our Future.” The National Department of Health says this is a call by the International Council of Nurses to countries to address global health challenges. | 2023-05-12 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/05/12/international-nurses-day-little-to-celebrate/ |
| | Article | Mumps is an acute viral infection caused by the rubulavirus, also known as mumps virus. It is sometimes called ‘infectious parotitis’, as it causes painful swelling of the parotid and or salivary glands. Mumps is generally a mild childhood disease, mostly affecting children between 5-9 years of age. However, younger and older children as well as adults, can become infected with mumps. People who have had mumps are usually protected for life against another mumps infection. However, second occurrences of mumps do rarely occur. | 2023-05-12 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | SA Coronavirus | https://sacoronavirus.co.za/2023/05/12/confirmation-of-mumps-outbreak-south-africa-2023/ |
| | Article | The World Health Organization (WHO) has ended the global health emergency for mpox, marking the end of a 10-month juggling act by the UN health agency as it scrambled to deal with concurrent global pandemics. The announcement arrives just days after WHO declared the end of the global health emergency for COVID-19 last Friday, three years and 6.9 million lives after the virus was elevated to a global pandemic in January 2020. At a press briefing at WHO’s Geneva headquarters on Thursday, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that despite the change in designation, both viruses still pose “significant health challenges”. | 2023-05-11 | 2023-05-22 12:00 AM | Health Policy Watch | https://healthpolicy-watch.news/who-declares-end-to-mpox-global-health-emergency/ |
| | Article | Popular and academic literature is replete with examples of how to cope with daily stresses. Mental health professions have also long researched and implemented strategies to deal with burnout from workplace stressors. | 2023-04-30 | 2023-05-03 12:00 AM | The Conversation | https://theconversation.com/health-workers-cope-with-a-huge-amount-of-stress-how-to-build-a-resilient-health-system-in-south-africa-203608 |
| | Article | HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily regimen of two medications in a single pill, could prevent many new HIV infections, especially in at-risk populations. For example, research shows PrEP could prevent around 70 percent of new HIV infections in adolescent cisgender sexual minority males (ASMM) and transgender and gender diverse adolescents (TGDA), populations that are disproportionately affected by the disease. However, despite growing awareness of PrEP among ASMM/TGDA, uptake of the treatment is still less than 5 percent. | 2023-04-11 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Medical express | https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-parental-knowledge-attitudes-hiv-treatment.html |
| | Article | Researchers have found that digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has improved breast cancer screening performance in community practice and identifies more invasive cancers, compared to digital mammography. In addition, radiologists' interpretive performance improved with DBT. The results of the study were published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "Our study demonstrated that more radiologists in U.S. community practice are meeting recommended performance standards with digital breast tomosynthesis than they did with digital mammography," said lead author Christoph I. Lee, M.D., professor of radiology at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine in Seattle, director of the Northwest Screening and Cancer Outcomes Research Enterprise at UW, and adjunct professor of health systems and population health at the UW School of Public Health. "This is good news for women and breast cancer screening, as digital breast tomosynthesis has quickly become the most popular breast cancer screening modality in the U.S." | 2023-04-11 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | News medical life science | https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230411/Digital-breast-tomosynthesis-improves-cancer-screening-performance-in-community-practice.aspx |
| | Article | As South Africa experiences stage five load shedding once again today, the potential health risks associated with power cuts are at the forefront of people’s minds. With concerns about food safety mounting, experts are warning that consuming food stored in the fridge during extended periods of load shedding could lead to foodborne illnesses. In an interview with Health-e News, Epidemiologist Phuthi Sekwadi from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) explains that foodborne diseases can be caused by a variety of germs, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, as well as chemicals. However, cold temperatures can slow the growth of harmful bacteria. Therefore, storing food at a consistent temperature of five degrees celsius is crucial to minimise the risk of foodborne illnesses. | 2023-04-11 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/04/11/food-safety-how-loadshedding-can-hurt-your-health/ |
| | Article | A recent clinical study suggests that a "morning after" antibiotic could diminish the risk of common STIs for high-risk individuals. Taking the antibiotic, called doxycycline, within 72 hours of having unprotected intercourse could lower the risk of three common STIs — gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis — by two-thirds among high-risk people, including gay and bisexual men and transgender women who were diagnosed with HIV or are on medication to prevent HIV. | 2023-04-11 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://healthnews.com/news/morning-after-antibiotics-to-lower-risks-for-prevalent-stis/ |
| | Article | Tanapox is a zoonotic disease that is endemic to equatorial Africa. The last human case was reported almost two decades ago, with only four cases ever being exported via humans or nonhuman primates (NHPs). A new case of this rare disease was diagnosed outside the equatorial belt, where all previous human cases had been identified. Expanded surveillance on this disease is necessary. | 2023-04-10 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | News Medical Life Science | https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230410/The-emergence-of-tanapox-in-South-Africa-2022.aspx |
| | Article | In 2020 the World Health Organization introduced a plan to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030. The first step towards this goal is to have 90% of girls fully vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) by the age of 15 years. Gynaecological oncologist Lynette Denny spells out how much progress still needs to be made, and what hurdles need to be overcome. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest cervical cancer diagnoses worldwide. Cervical cancer mortality rates in the region are three times higher than the global average. The burden of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to the disparity. In 2021, in southern Africa, 63.8% of women with cervical cancer were living with HIV, as were 27.4% of women in eastern Africa. | 2023-04-10 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | The Conversation | https://theconversation.com/cervical-cancer-can-be-beaten-the-key-is-vaccinating-young-girls-202001 |
| | Article | When I’m talking about hormonal methods of contraception, I first want to educate patients about what kind of hormones we’re talking about and what each of these hormones do, meaning that a lot of patients don’t understand that it’s the progestin component of birth control that prevents them from getting pregnant. Estrogen is sometimes added to birth control for better cycle control. The 2 methods do work well together, but the progestin component is the most important, which is why we can have methods that just have progestin in it. Over time, formulations of birth control have changed a lot. The progestins that we use have changed in their doses. The amount of estrogen we use has been lowered, which is safer for everyone, but there are still different risk profiles for using both of these hormones. | 2023-04-10 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Contemporary OB/GYN | https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/insights-from-an-ob-gyn-and-cardiologist-on-hormonal-contraceptive-selection |
| | Article | Adolescent girls and teenage mothers residing in Kampala's Katwe slum have been empowered with knowledge on sexual reproductive health and rights and how to prevent themselves from contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) | 2023-04-10 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | New Vision | https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/health/adolescent-girls-teenage-mothers-in-katwe-tip-157904 |
| | Article | Civil Society organisations, Section27 and VillageReach, agree that the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill has the potential to drive universal health coverage (UHC) in South Africa (SA). Weighing in on the road to achieving this and reflecting on how this year’s world health day theme “Health for All” relates to SA, the shadow of gaps in the access to healthcare services follows. World Health Day is observed on the 7th of April every year and marks the anniversary of the founding World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO describes UHC as an idea that is about ensuring people have access to the healthcare they need when they need it, and without suffering financial hardship. | 2023-04-07 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/04/07/world-health-day-is-nhi-the-way-to-universal-health-coverage/ |
| | Article | A new article in the Journal of the International AIDS Society highlights the urgent need for a clear strategy to prevent and treat advanced HIV disease in children and teens. Many children and teens living with HIV still present with severe immunosuppression. They do not start antiretroviral therapy (ART) until they are hospitalized—when it is often too late. The major causes of morbidity and mortality in children living with advanced HIV are pneumonia, tuberculosis, bloodstream infections, diarrhea, and severe acute malnutrition. This article discusses the common clinical presentations of children and teens with advanced HIV disease with a focus on diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The article also highlights some of the challenges implementing the existing package of care and emphasizes the the need for further research to provide quality care for these groups. | 2023-04-06 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | The Clinton Health Access Initiative | https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/research/the-part-we-often-forget-care-for-children-and-teens-with-advanced-hiv-disease/ |
| | Article | Despite attaining independence from Portugal in 1975, Mozambique continues to struggle with internal conflicts. Its current insurgent crisis is centralized in the Cabo Delgado province, which was once the cradle of Mozambique’s war of liberation from colonial occupation, but is today beset by constant warfare. The consequences have interrupted access to HIV medications and prevention options―and contributed to an estimated 11.4% HIV prevalence among adults in the area. | 2023-04-06 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | The Body | https://www.thebody.com/article/internal-conflict-displacing-women-mozambique |
| | Article | Hundreds of HIV prevention advocates nationwide convened on Tuesday to discuss the implications of Judge Reed O’Connor’s ruling in the Texas Braidwood v. Becerra case that could impact access to PrEP and other preventive health interventions for millions of Americans. The ruling states private insurers are no longer required to cover certain preventive care services under the Affordable Care Act, including PrEP. Advocates called on public and private insurers to maintain coverage to prevent HIV and other conditions no matter the ultimate outcome of the case. Experts from Lambda Legal, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation provided preliminary analyses and shared their thoughts on strategies moving forward, including steps in the appeal process. Attendees vowed to take action to raise awareness of this threat to PrEP access, connect with other affected healthcare communities, and get organized for what will likely be a prolonged process to try and undermine preventive health services. | 2023-04-06 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Avac | https://www.avac.org/press-release/prep-advocates-convene-virtual-town-hall-responding-braidwood-v-becerra |
| | Article | Seventy-five years ago on Friday – World Health Day – the World Health Organization’s (WHO) founding constitution became the first document to formally recognize health as a human right. Three-quarters of a century later, a WHO battered by the COVID-19 pandemic is juggling how to adapt to new health threats with achieving its most basic mission: public health for all. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” reads the opening passage of the 1948 constitution, still in effect to this day. | 2023-04-06 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | Health Policy Watch | https://healthpolicy-watch.news/who-75-years/ |
| | Article | The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has made the decision to withdraw pholcodine-containing medicines from the South African (SA) market due to the increased risk of sudden, severe, and life-threatening allergic reactions occurring during surgery. There is a link between the use of pholcodine-containing medicines and the risk of a sudden, severe, and life-threatening allergic (anaphylactic) reaction when neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) are administered during general anaesthesia. NMBAs are used as muscle relaxants during surgery. The use of pholcodine-containing medicines, up to 12 months prior to surgery, increases the risk of anaphylactic reaction in patients who receive NMBAs. | 2023-04-06 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | SAHPRA | https://www.sahpra.org.za/press-releases/sahpra-withdraws-pholcodine-containing-medicines-from-sa-market/ |
| | Article | Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a dangerous early childhood viral infection, but results of a vaccine promise to change things radically. A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the world’s most prestigious medical journal, on 5 April that examined the effect of an RSV vaccine on pregnant women found that it reduced the risk of severe lower respiratory tract infections in newborns by 82%. | 2023-04-06 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | GroundUp | https://www.groundup.org.za/article/new-vaccine-will-save-thousands-children-from-dying-pneumonia/ |
| | Article | Three cases of HIV being cured have been reported to date. All three involved men with HIV and either leukemia or lymphoma. The men received transplants of stem cells from adult donors to treat their cancers. The stem cell donors all carried two copies of a mutation, CCR5-delta32, that confers resistance to HIV. CCR5 is a receptor that HIV uses to infect cells. But very few people carry two copies of CCR5-delta32, limiting the chances of finding a compatible donor, particularly for non-White patients. A team led by Drs. Jingmei Hsu at Weill Cornell Medicine, Yvonne Bryson of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Deborah Persaud of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine used a modified approach to try to cure HIV. | 2023-04-05 | 2023-04-18 12:00 AM | POZ | https://www.poz.com/article/mixedrace-woman-potentially-cured-hiv-using-stem-cell-transplant |
| | Article | A qualitative study published in PLOS Global Public Health explored how disclosure of PrEP use was related to adherence among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. Those who received positive reactions generally had high adherence and disclosed more readily to more people. Those with low adherence were more fearful to disclose and received more neutral or negative reactions. In South Africa, adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately impacted by HIV. In the Buffalo City Metro Health District, the site of the study, around 13% of girls and women aged 15-24 are living with HIV compared to 4% of young men. Relationship dynamics and interpersonal violence limit HIV prevention options for adolescent girls and young women. Prevention methods under a person’s direct control, like PrEP, are a critical tool in preventing HIV among this vulnerable population. | 2023-03-21 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | UN | https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134832 |
| | Article | Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacity as Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), will on Friday, 24 March 2023, lead the official commemoration of World TB Day and Launch of the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs for 2023-2028 in Rustenburg, Tlhabane Stadium, in the North West Province. Given that TB remains one of the leading causes of ill health and death in South Africa, and the challenges of TB patients not completing their treatment as well as the Missing TB Patients, the World TB Day commemoration was designated for March 24 every year to create awareness about the health, social and economic impact of TB locally and around the globe. South Africa remains among the nations hardest hit by TB. This year’s theme for World TB Day is ‘Yes! You and I Can End TB’, and it is clarion call to encourage all South Africans to contribute to the national effort against TB. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | sacoronavirus.co.za | https://sacoronavirus.co.za/2023/03/20/media-advisory-deputy-president-mashatile-to-lead-world-tb-day-commemoration-and-launch-of-the-national-strategic-plan-for-hiv-tb-and-stis-2023-2028/ |
| | Article | Kedibone Mmupele (27), her two children Onkarabile (2) and Nkune (6), and her younger siblings Mapule (7) and Sebengu (9) had not had a decent meal in weeks, media reports at the time showed. It was 2011. There was no food in their home near Verdwaal, a small place in the North-West Province. So she decided to walk to a farm 18 kilometres away to find food. On that Thursday in October 2011, the temperature rose to 32 degrees Celsius. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/03/17/opinion-urgent-course-correction-needed-on-nhi-climate-change-and-economic-policy/ |
| | Article | Nontsikelelo Zwedala, an activist at the forefront of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) protests in the early 2000s, died this month at the age of 52. We asked Zackie Achmat, TAC leader at the time that Nontsikelelo was active in the organisation, to write an obituary for her. Our soft Ntsiki, with a will of steel, is no more. I started writing these words last year as a historical tribute to Nontsikelelo Zwedala and Christopher Moraka as part of a paper on TAC’s campaign for the antifungal medicine fluconazole. Nontsikelelo was still alive. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | GroundUp | https://www.groundup.org.za/article/nontsikelelo-zwedala-unsung-hero-struggle-for-hiv-medicines/ |
| | Article | The cervix is the narrow canal between a woman's uterus and vagina, and the cervical stump is the piece of the uterine cervix that remains after a supravaginal hysterectomy (per a 2021 study published in the journal Cureus). A 2017 study published in the journal Preventative Medical Reports describes a supravaginal hysterectomy as a procedure that removes the uterus but not the cervix. The most common reason for undergoing a supravaginal hysterectomy is the presence of uterine fibroids. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Health Digest | https://www.healthdigest.com/1228531/cervical-stump-cancer-symptoms-diagnosis-and-treatment/ |
| | Article | While there are currently a dozen approved AI systems for breast cancer screening, it has been difficult to evaluate their clinical performance objectively. Now, however, there is a Swedish validation platform ready to compare how well AI systems detect signs of breast cancer—and its development has been led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The pilot project started in 2021 and the platform was ready for trial last year. So far it has been used to start the evaluation of three different companies' algorithms based on about 40,000 mammograms from three Swedish regions. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Medical Express | https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-validation-platform-local-hospitals-ai.html |
| | Article | New tuberculosis infection guidelines released ahead of World TB Day are another important step in the right direction for South Africa’s TB response, argues Spotlight editor Marcus Low, while also warning of the substantial implementation challenges that remain. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/03/20/editorial-new-guidelines-are-a-step-forward-for-sas-tb-response/ |
| | Article | Ladies, let’s talk about sex – specifically, how to make it safe and fun with the help of internal condoms! If you’re looking for a reliable and exciting form of contraception, look no further than the trustworthy female condom. It’s high time we ditch the stereotype that only men buy or wear condoms. Women should take charge of ensuring that they are safe from unwanted pregnancy or STDs during sexual activity. In this article, you will find ways to use internal condoms like a pro, so you can focus on pleasure without any worries. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Health Shots | https://www.healthshots.com/how-to/learn-the-correct-and-effective-way-to-use-internal-condoms/ |
| | Article | While noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which cause some 74% of all deaths, are getting increased attention from global health influencers, there is one elephant in the room that has received insufficient attention to date. Oral disease. That’s despite the fact that oral diseases may be the most prevalent of all NCDs – affecting some 3.5 billion people, or nearly half the world’s population. Notwithstanding some recent progress, political recognition of the need to adequately fund and respond to the public health implications of that disease burden remains painfully slow. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Health Policy Watch | https://healthpolicy-watch.news/putting-teeth-in-the-global-agenda-for-oral-health/ |
| | Article | As public health facilities were rocked by a violent strike over the past two weeks, patients were in crisis. With only skeleton staff attending, there were not enough hands to look after the country’s most vulnerable. But then South Africans stepped up. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Daily Maverick | https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-03-20-south-africans-have-heart-heroes-of-the-public-healthcare-strike-came-from-all-walks-of-life/ |
| | Article | Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus that health officials hoped to contain is now in more than half the 50 states, according to a new research paper. | 2023-03-20 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | New York Times | https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/20/health/candida-auris-us-fungus.html |
| | Article | Generally, deaths generate more news, but wellness a little. Ditto same with HIV/AIDS, that has changed its status from a ghastly deadly disease during the 1990s to a chronic manageable condition now that can be considered better than diabetes. This journey wasn’t easy for India that had topped globally in HIV/AIDS cases in 1996.Since then we have come a long way. Though the research in finding anti-retroviral therapy (ART) was done elsewhere, India realised the dreams of millions of people living with HIV (PLHIV) globally by making the fruits of such developments affordable and assessable. Today we are poised to set another dream and that is #endAIDS. That isn’t an easy goal either with the challenges around, fortified with collateral damages due to the protracted Covid pandemic. | 2023-03-19 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Sunday Guardian Live | https://sundayguardianlive.com/news/to-endaids-bridge-gap-between-awareness-and-action?fbclid=IwAR1g2hTXfXHN9fg4rW3NOpI5D8832bnpDhQNUEe7yHrBV9RgFEpX7AWTRWE |
| | Article | The release this week of the health ombud’s shock report into the harrowing conditions confronting pregnant women and babies at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital came as no surprise to anyone who has had the misfortune to rely on public health services in Gauteng. While there are undoubtedly many hard-working and committed doctors and nurses providing excellent care, the vast majority of the 16-million people who depend on the province’s public health facilities face a callous, uncaring and degrading system. | 2023-03-17 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Business Day | https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/editorials/2023-03-17-editorial-stop-wasting-energy-on-nhi-and-fix-the-rot/ |
| | Article | Anal cancer diagnoses in men in the United States aged 50 and over rose over a decade and states with a higher frequency of AIDS diagnoses tended to have a higher frequency of anal cancer diagnoses too, a national study of anal cancer mortality published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports. The study authors suggest that structural inequalities leading to late HIV diagnosis, poor access to care and a diagnosis of AIDS contribute to a higher risk of anal cancer in some parts of the United States for men. In women, anal cancer rates were strongly correlated with smoking prevalence but not with AIDS. Alarmingly, anal cancer in women aged 50 and over had become almost as common as cervical cancer in some states in the midwest and south-east of the United States by 2014-2018. | 2023-03-17 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Aidsmap | https://www.aidsmap.com/news/mar-2023/anal-cancer-united-states-linked-aids-and-inequalities |
| | Article | • In Somalia and Kenya, children who grew up in the West are sent to re-education camps to “get them away from the Western world and learn about their culture”.
• These unregulated centres called dhaqan celis have no age limit and operate outside of the law. Children who are found drinking or disobeying their parents are sent to these centres where they are beaten, starved, chained and sexually assaulted.
• These young Somali women from the United Kingdom detail their experiences of sexual assault and physical abuse they were subjected to.
| 2023-03-17 | 2023-03-27 12:00 AM | Bhekisisa | https://bhekisisa.org/features/2023-03-17-teenagers-are-sent-to-these-camps-to-purge-the-west-they-leave-bruised-and-abused/ |
| | Article | Four days into the wage strike by health workers has resulted in four lives being lost according to Phaahla. A number of protesting workers have been shot with rubber bullets and the devastation has no end in sight as the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union has vowed to intensify industrial action. | 2023-03-09 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Daily Maverick | https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-03-09-what-we-didnt-expect-was-the-violence-health-minister-joe-phaahla-as-the-nehawu-wage-strike-intensifies/ |
| | Article | When a transplant is out of reach, kidney failure leaves those without access to high-quality health care with few options. | 2023-03-08 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Nature | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00650-9 |
| | Article | The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against women and girls, rooted in gender inequality, harm their health and well-being. Women and girls in many parts of the world face the risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV and cervical cancer, malnutrition, depression, and respiratory infections, amongst other risks. | 2023-03-08 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | World Health Organization | https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/03/08/default-calendar/international-women-s-day |
| | Article | Mothers living with HIV have a low likelihood of transmitting the virus to their infants through breastfeeding, and revised U.S. guidelines state that HIV-positive people should receive patient-centered counseling to support shared decision-making about infant feeding. The same considerations apply to transgender men and nonbinary people who wish to chestfeed. | 2023-03-08 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | POZ | https://www.poz.com/article/can-women-living-hiv-safely-breastfeed-babies |
| | Article | • Morphine was first introduced to Uganda 30 years ago, but as the burden of cancer increases, thousands of people still lack access to even basic treatment or pain relief.
• The Ugandan government cannot fulfil its responsibility to provide end-of-life care for its people. Now, a hospice organisation that has been picking up the slack is running out of money too.
• Meet the health workers doing what they can to provide a good death for cancer patients at the end of their lives.
| 2023-03-08 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Bhekisisa | https://bhekisisa.org/features/2023-03-08-i-would-lie-and-listen-to-my-pain-the-multitasking-mavericks-fighting-for-a-good-death/ |
| | Article | Rates of type 2 diabetes and other conditions caused by disorders of the body’s energy-processing system are driven in part by changing food habits. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Nature | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00676-z |
| | Article | The total cost of cancer to the global economy will reach 25.2 trillion international dollars between 2020 and 2050, according to an analysis of 29 cancers across 204 countries. Of that, five types of cancer will account for roughly half of that cost. The study, published in JAMA Oncology last month, finds that tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer will be the most expensive, followed by colon and rectal cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer and leukaemia1 (see ‘Which cancers cost the most’). Together, those cancers will cost roughly Int$12 trillion over the next 30 years. International dollars are an artificial currency often used in economic analyses and comparisons across countries. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Nature | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00634-9 |
| | Article | The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) has launched a smart blood fridge, aimed at reducing turnaround times for patients to receive blood. The fridge, called Bophelo, is currently being piloted at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Johannesburg. It operates as a vending machine and healthcare workers use a unique code sent to them by SANBS to access cross-matched blood. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/03/07/blood-smart-fridge/ |
| | Article | Ms. Bahous noted that although several historic firsts for gender equality occurred during the first two decades of the resolution, “we have neither significantly changed the composition of peace tables, nor the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls.” She said the 20th anniversary "was not a celebration, but a wake-up call," pointing to situations from across the globe that have emerged since then. They include the regression of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover, sexual violence committed in the war in the Tigray region in Ethiopia, and online abuse targeting women opposing military rule in Myanmar. Women and children also comprise a staggering 90 per cent of the nearly eight million people forced to flee the conflict in Ukraine, and nearly 70 per cent of those displaced within the country. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | United Nations | https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134287 |
| | Article | An unwillingness among health care professionals to prescribe and dispense otherwise recommended medications is putting the health and lives of pregnant women at risk, finds a new study involving a UCL researcher. The research, published in BMJ Open and involving researchers at UCL, the Center for Reproductive Research & Communication at BPAS, Cardiff University, and Pregnancy Sickness Support, highlights the experiences of women whose pharmacists had refused to dispense prescriptions made by their GP. The study analyzed survey responses from 7,090 women and interviews with 34 women who were pregnant or had been pregnant in the last five years, and found that women were made to feel "guilty" or like "the worst mother" for seeking medication to treat serious conditions. Several participants even resorted to self-prescribing and discontinued their advised treatments without medical consultation—due to fears about fetal harm. This resulted in either hospitalization or exacerbation of symptoms. Now researchers are calling for health care professionals to "work harder to ensure pregnant women are able to access the right medicines for themselves and their baby." | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Medical Express | https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-reluctance-medication-health-pregnant-women.html |
| | Article | The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients in the 1980s was a turning point in the treatment of the disease. Once considered a terminal diagnosis, HIV could now be recognised as a manageable chronic health condition. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies HIV as a global epidemic and reports that ART was used to treat 75% of HIV patients in 2021. ART is a daily treatment method that works by reducing the replication of HIV in the blood, resulting in undetectable and non-transmissible viral levels. Lifelong treatment is recommended to ensure the virus does not continue to replicate and spread. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Clinical Trials Arena | https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/comment/patient-hiv-free-bone-marrow-transplant/ |
| | Article | Hormones-based contraceptives are safe and highly effective. However, some women might have medical contraindications or side effects due to them. Likewise, non-hormonal methods, e.g., copper intrauterine devices, cause heavy menstrual bleeding and dysmenorrhea. Likewise, nonoxynol-9 (N9)-based spermicides, female condoms, and diaphragms have many potential drawbacks; as such, their uptake is low worldwide. Consequently, there is an urgent need for safer and more acceptable contraceptives to meet their growing demand as the unplanned pregnancy rate exceeds 50% across several countries. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | News Medical Life Science | https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230307/First-in-woman-study-of-a-non-hormonal-vaginal-film-showed-safety-potential-contraceptive-efficacy-and-supports-future-development.aspx |
| | Article | Following this final stage of approval, the plan will be launched to the public by the new deputy president, Paul Mashatile in his capacity as the chairperson of the South African National Aids Council (Sanac), during the official commemoration of World TB Day on 24 March in Rustenburg, North West. The NSP provides a strategic framework for a multi-sectoral approach that is people-centred to eliminate HIV, TB and STIs as public health threats by 2030. | 2023-03-07 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | BizCommunity | https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/149/236621.html |
| | Article | Stories about reproductive health often focus on women and their options to prevent or end an unwanted pregnancy. But it takes two to tango and since men are often left out of the family planning picture — they may start to believe that birth control is only a feminine problem. Get a sense of what it’s like to report on the few contraceptive options for men from our Mohale Moloi. | 2023-03-06 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Bhekisisa | https://bhekisisa.org/multimedia/videos/2023-03-06-bhekisisadiaries-what-vasectomy-research-says-about-sex-myths-and-manhood/ |
| | Article | For businesses and households that can afford it, solar panels and batteries offer a way to keep the lights on during South Africa’s ongoing bouts of loadshedding. Such technologies may also offer a solution for healthcare facilities, where a reliable energy supply can be a matter of life and death. | 2023-03-06 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/03/06/should-sas-public-hospitals-go-solar/ |
| | Article | The majority of us are aware of the fundamental components of good health, such as maintaining a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, and managing stress. Millions of women in vulnerable communities across South Africa are struggling to obtain basic and tertiary health-care services as a result of rising demand over the past three years. More so than in the past, medical care has focused on treating diseases, which might lower death rates and lengthen life expectancy, but what if some health conditions could be easily avoided prior to medical intervention? These circumstances, according to Rhiza Babuyile, a community development NGO that works in townships throughout South Africa, have increased demand for access to charity-sponsored health care for those who have trouble accessing the overburdened public system. South Africa's health-care system is exceedingl unequal and is split into two tiers: public and private. The public sector, which is backed by the government, provides services to 71% of the population. | 2023-03-05 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | IOL news | https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/health/focus-on-womens-healthcare-needs-can-help-avoid-illness-b3841c59-9f91-4bdc-93f6-8c05526166c1 |
| | Article | It is that time of the year when civil society organizations (CSOs), governments, the United States government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and other partners convene in Johannesburg, South Africa, to plan for funding for the year 2023 and beyond. PEPFAR is the largest donor to over 50 countries in the global HIV response. This was the first in-person meeting since the pronunciation of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. | 2023-03-04 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | POZ | https://www.poz.com/blog/pac-on-frontline-pepfar-planning |
| | Article | Vaccines save lives like no other single health intervention, preventing millions of deaths every year. And that makes it all the more confounding that vaccine hesitancy, with all of its negative public health repercussions, has moved to the forefront of American society over the last three years. About a quarter of American adults say they won’t get the Covid-19 vaccine, according to one recent study, and experts fear that Covid vaccine skepticism could spread to other shots. The good news is that Americans have quashed vaccine apprehension before — and we did it not by dismissing vaccine deniers, but by taking their fears seriously. | 2023-03-04 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | Vox | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23616738/hpv-vaccine-cervical-cancer-hesitancy-covid-pandemic |
| | Article | It is reported that women tend to be hesitant to seek healthcare associated with taboo subjects such as sex, HIV, and reproductive health. This lack of awareness becomes a challenge to be tackled for preventative women's healthcare. Experts say promoting women’s reproductive and overall health should be a top priority for community development. According to Sister Thandi Mgcina, healthcare manager at NPO, Rhiza Babuyile, there are still many adolescent girls and women who need to be encouraged to seek healthcare at their closest available facility. | 2023-03-03 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | IOL news | https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/tackling-taboo-topics-such-as-sex-hiv-and-reproductive-health-is-crucial-7a2fdd82-62ab-4742-b9a1-e90767d76d7a |
| | Article | In Area 36, a densely populated neighbourhood of the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, community volunteers and health workers keep a lifesaving Oral Rehydration Point (ORP) open every day, all day long. Every morning, the small group sweeps the ground and takes out supplies provided by World Health Organization (WHO): an oral rehydration solution and chlorine solutions to mix with water to disinfect cups and surfaces and for hand hygiene. | 2023-03-03 | 2023-03-13 12:00 AM | WHO Africa | https://www.afro.who.int/photo-story/malawi-community-run-oral-rehydration-points-help-address-cholera-deaths |
| | Article | Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest estimates released in a report by United Nations agencies today. This report, Trends in maternal mortality, reveals alarming setbacks for women’s health over recent years, as maternal deaths either increased or stagnated in nearly all regions of the world. “While pregnancy should be a time of immense hope and a positive experience for all women, it is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for millions around the world who lack access to high quality, respectful health care,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “These new statistics reveal the urgent need to ensure every woman and girl has access to critical health services before, during and after childbirth, and that they can fully exercise their reproductive rights.” | 2023-02-23 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | World Health Organization | https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2023-a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth--un-agencies |
| | Article | The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says four laboratory-confirmed measles cases were reported in Cape Town between January 24 and February 17. “Even though all the lab-confirmed measles cases were investigated, no epidemiological link could be established,” the NICD said. A week ago the institute said a total of 560 cases had been detected in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng and Free State since the outbreak started. | 2023-02-23 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Times Live | https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-02-22-measles-outbreak-spreads-to-western-cape/ |
| | Article | The news today is awash with stories about the Düsseldorf Patient, one of five people considered likely cured of HIV after receipt of a stem cell transplant to treat a life-threatening cancer diagnosis. As with all five reported cases to date, the stem cell donor was homozygous for the CCR5Δ32 mutation, which renders immune cells resistant to most HIV variants. The media coverage has been prompted by the publication of a detailed report in the journal Nature Medicine by Björn-Erik Ole Jensen and colleagues. The individual, who identified himself as Marc in an interview with a Dutch news outlet in 2021, has now been off antiretroviral therapy (ART) for four years with no sign of HIV viral load rebound. His current health is reported to be good, although the paper makes clear his journey has been difficult having experienced two relapses of acute myeloid leukemia and reactivation of multiple chronic viral infections (cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus 2, human herpesvirus 8 and Epstein–Barr virus). Mild chronic graft-versus-host disease of the eyes with bilateral keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye syndrome) developed after the stem cell transplant and is still present. | 2023-02-21 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | TAG | https://tagbasicscienceproject.typepad.com/tags_basic_science_vaccin/2023/02/the-d%C3%BCsseldorf-patient-hiv-cure-case-published-in-nature-medicine.html |
| | Article | Women can safely use a monthly, antiretroviral-containing vaginal ring to prevent HIV infection during late pregnancy and while breastfeeding with no risk to their babies, new research released this week shows. The ring is expected to become available at selected clinics and private pharmacies this year alongside the HIV prevention injection and the HIV prevention pill. | 2023-02-21 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/02/22/vaginal-ring-to-prevent-hiv-safe-to-use-in-late-pregnancy-and-while-breastfeeding/ |
| | Article | Despite being one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally and there being highly effective treatments for it, asthma is often not well controlled in many low-resource settings, according to a cross-sectional study recently published in the Lancet medical journal. | 2023-02-21 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/02/21/disproportionate-number-of-children-in-sa-have-severe-asthma-experts-say/ |
| | Article | Despite being one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally and there being highly effective treatments for it, asthma is often not well controlled in many low-resource settings, according to a cross-sectional study recently published in the Lancet medical journal. | 2023-02-21 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/02/21/disproportionate-number-of-children-in-sa-have-severe-asthma-experts-say/ |
| | Article | There are people who had a house on Friday and on Sunday morning they only had a foundation. Their entire house was washed away.” This is according to Storm Zurcher, the community policing forum chairperson of the Loch Vaal neighbourhood watch area, who was referring to the widespread destruction of homes, roads and bridges in Loch Vaal, Vanderbijlpark and other parts of the Vaal after devastating flooding at the weekend. On Saturday, the department of water and sanitation announced that a further two floodgates had been opened at the Vaal Dam to ease pressure after heavy rains, which unleashed flooding in the region. The total number of floodgates that have been opened stands at 12. | 2023-02-21 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Mail & Guardian | https://mg.co.za/environment/2023-02-21-absolute-chaos-after-flooding-in-the-vaal/ |
| | Article | Communities in the Mpumalanga Highveld Priority Area have long felt the health effects of Eskom’s deadly air pollution that has caused premature deaths and health complications for the surrounding communities, particularly among children, writes Onke Ngcuka. A recent report shows that further air quality non-compliance by the ailing power utility could result in 79,500 air pollution-related deaths from 2025 until the power plants’ end of life. | 2023-02-20 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/02/20/something-stinks-eskoms-uncontrolled-pollution-emissions-cost-thousands-of-lives-and-billions-of-rands/ |
| | Article | African leaders and partners have joined together at a high-level event on the side-lines of the 36th Session of the African Union to commit to a set of actions to boost progress towards ending AIDS. The event, Health Financing and Sustaining Action to End AIDS and Related Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases, was co-hosted by the African Union, NEPAD, UNAIDS and PEPFAR. During the event, heads of state and government adopted a declaration which includes commitments to take personal responsibility and provide active leadership in the AIDS response, champion science and mobilize domestic political and financial support. | 2023-02-20 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | UNAIDS | https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2023/february/20230220_african-leaders-pledge-new-commitments-to-end-aids |
| | Article | Tuberculosis (TB) is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, ranking above HIV/AIDS. Globally, 10.6 million people developed TB while an estimated 1.6 million people died of TB in 2021 alone. Despite progress made in the last two decades, the incidence of TB is not declining fast enough to end the disease. In Zimbabwe an estimated 29,945 people developed active TB in 2021 and only 16,541 were diagnosed and put on treatment. A significant number of people are still being missed and not getting the treatment they need and deserve. In addition, the proportion of children who were diagnosed with TB has been consistently low, and has been 6% for the past 4 years. Stigma and discrimination, limited resources, limited capacity to diagnose TB in children and catastrophic costs suffered by TB patients as they seek services remain a challenge. | 2023-02-20 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | All Africa | https://allafrica.com/stories/202302210016.html |
| | Article | Scientists have long warned that climate change would push species into new territories, with the march of disease-carrying mosquitos among their gravest concerns. But this is not some theoretical future threat. Mosquitos that transmit malaria have been moving into warming areas for over a century in Africa, according to a new study. | 2023-02-20 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Science Alert | https://www.sciencealert.com/malaria-carrying-mosquitos-are-expanding-their-territory-almost-3-miles-a-year |
| | Article | More tools are desperately needed in the nation’s fight against STIs. Ongoing increases in reported STIs show no signs of slowing without long-term investment and game-changing innovations in STI prevention, rapid diagnostics, vaccine-development, and treatment. The recent momentum in research exploring STI prevention is encouraging, particularly in a field that has lacked innovation for so long. As these promising findings are shared, it is exciting to see important pieces of a much larger puzzle falling into place, but there are still many gaps left to fill. Continued research and investment are needed to develop the right mix of testing, prevention, and treatment solutions for all groups impacted by STIs. And everyone – from the federal government, to state and local health departments, to healthcare providers – must commit to equitable access to all proven innovations from the start. | 2023-02-20 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | CDC | https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2023/croi-statement.html |
| | Article | Wooyoung Jang, Likhita Kandimalla, Sivagami Rajan, Rafael Abreu & Jamie Enrique Campos
The orthopoxvirus causes the rare disease monkeypox, and underlying immune deficiencies might lead to worse outcomes. In this report, we described a rare case of monkeypox with an underlying immune deficiency caused by human immunodeficiency virus infection which was combined with syphilis. This report discusses differences in the initial clinical presentation and clinical course compared to typical monkeypox cases.
| 2023-02-18 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | AIDS Research and Therapy | https://aidsrestherapy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12981-023-00504-4 |
| | Article | Candice Chirwa knows the importance of holding an important title such as the “Minister of Menstruation” in the country. “Being the Minister of Menstruation has been an incredible journey, advocating for the right of so many menstruators in South Africa to have access to period dignity,” Chirwa told the Saturday Star. | 2023-02-18 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | IOL | https://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/sas-minister-of-menstruation-demands-that-government-finally-prioritise-menstrual-health-4c60fbd6-4374-4585-86c4-3ae6e13ec34a |
| | Article | A frightful piece of information came to light recently. The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced its 2022 revenue at $100 billion. This is more than the combined health spending of 108 countries in 2020 according to calculations of The People’s Vaccine Campaign. The Pfizer COVID vaccine, of course, helped the dollars roll in. In fact, some reports suggest that Pfizer charged some countries $130 per dose of vaccine, while it is estimated that it costs less than $2 per dose to make. That equated to a markup of a stupefying 10 000% but we don’t know the full pricing details because the contracts are marked ‘secret’. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/02/17/opinion-nhi-bill-must-still-clear-many-hurdles-to-ensure-adequate-medicine-access/ |
| | Article | The head of UNAids, Winnie Byanyima, has strongly criticised pharmaceutical giants for prioritising profits over saving lives, and warned that “racist” inequalities are undermining progress towards ending Aids, especially in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of all new infections, with women and marginalised groups facing higher new infection rates. Aids-related illnesses were the leading cause of mortality among African women, and adolescent girls and young women were three times more likely than men to get HIV. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | iAfrica | https://iafrica.com/calling-out-big-players-stalling-progress-in-the-fight-against-hiv-aids-in-africa/ |
| | Article | New research by the American Heart Association published in Circulation says women’s heart health before pregnancy can largely impact the risk associated with pregnancy, and long-term cardiovascular health for both the mother and the baby. Unsurprisingly, the mother’s health impacts the baby once pregnancy begins. However, improving heart health before pregnancy can be crucial to ending the generational sequence of poor cardiovascular health, which is common in the United States. For women impacted by poor social conditions and institutional racism, taking care of their health before pregnancy is especially important. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Health News | https://healthnews.com/news/heart-health-prior-to-pregnancy-is-important-says-report/ |
| | Article | Government is intensifying efforts geared at implementing South Africa's national health insurance. This was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa as he responded to the debate on his State of the Nation Address on Thursday. Ramaphosa stressed that access to quality healthcare was key to improving the quality of lives of all South Africans. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | EWN | https://ewn.co.za/2023/02/17/govt-intensifying-efforts-to-implement-nhi-says-ramaphosa |
| | Article | The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced the news yesterday that the country had eliminated transmission of hepatitis from mother to child. “We are pleased WHO has confirmed England has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, thanks to universal screening and immunization benefitting more than 9 in 10 infants,” John Stewart, director for Specialized Commissioning and interim director of Commercial Medicines at NHS England, said in a statement. Pregnant women who have hepatitis B can pass the infection onto their baby around the time of birth, and this is one of the most common routes of infection. To reduce the chances of a baby developing the infection, since the late 1990s all pregnant women in England have been offered an antenatal blood test for hepatitis B (as well as HIV and syphilis). | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Contemporary OB/GYN | https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/england-eliminates-mother-to-child-transmission-of-hepatitis-b |
| | Article | South Africa is a water-scarce country. Changing rainfall patterns and the escalating electricity crisis are making the situation worse. Treating and distributing water requires electricity. Some of the country’s biggest cities have had to impose water restrictions and residents in other parts have gone months without a regular water supply. Unfortunately, health facilities have not been spared. There have been numerous media reports of hospitals and clinics around the country being hit by water shortages. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana spoke to epidemiologist Husna Ismail about the dangers of clinics and hospitals running out of water. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | NICD | https://www.nicd.ac.za/water-cuts-in-south-africa-are-hurting-hospitals-and-clinics-theres-an-increased-risk-of-infections/ |
| | Article | Adolescent pregnancy is common in South Africa with data pointing to an “epidemic” of adolescent pregnancy putting strain on our healthcare systems and societies. In 2021, Statistics South Africa reported that 142 704 births registered occurred to mothers aged 10 to 19 years. KwaZulu-Natal has the highest prevalence of adolescent pregnancy with 36 171 deliveries recorded in girls aged 10 to 19. Further, repeat births to adolescents is an untold story in South Africa warranting attention. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | IOL news | https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/opinion/the-epidemic-of-adolescent-pregnancy-in-sa-e262e87b-7c50-4a21-a91b-2b58178802b7 |
| | Article | Janice Strydom, a Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) patient, spent six years in and out of emergency rooms, struggling to find a diagnosis for her recurrent throat swelling and closure. Despite consulting multiple doctors, she couldn’t find the information she needed to manage her condition. Angioedema is sudden swelling often triggered by an allergic reaction. Hereditary Angioedema is a genetic disorder that causes recurrent, painful episodes where the skin or mucous membranes swell. | 2023-02-17 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Health-E News | https://health-e.org.za/2023/02/17/sa-launches-first-virtual-angioedema-centre-in-africa/ |
| | Article | When a study published last year on an HIV variant that has been circulating in the Netherlands for the last 20 years made headlines around the world, it was a reminder that SARS-CoV-2 isn’t the only virus out there that is constantly mutating. Behind the headlines though, the story also offered a reminder of how different HIV is to SARS-CoV-2 with its Betas, Deltas, and Omicrons. To appreciate the differences, some basic terms are worth revising. “In virology, the terms variants, strains, and subtypes all describe genetic differences between viruses in the same grouping or species. There is a progression of how big the genetic change or differences are, with variants being the smallest difference, strains slightly more, and subtypes a much bigger difference,” explains Professor Eftyhia Vardas, a clinical virologist pathologist and the Head of Virology at Lancet Laboratories. | 2023-02-16 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2023/02/16/whats-the-deal-with-viral-variants-when-it-comes-to-hiv/ |
| | Article | While labour legislation encourages employers to adopt disciplinary rules that establish the standard of conduct expected from their employees, these rules must be reasonable, consistent with laws and public policy and not be arbitrary, capricious or unfair. That said, how do the requirements of reasonability and justifiability apply when employers want to implement a zero-tolerance policy or approach? | 2023-02-16 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Daily Maverick | https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-02-16-navigating-the-complexities-of-policing-weed-in-the-workplace/ |
| | Article | About two million immigrants live in South Africa, many of whom have difficulty accessing public services like healthcare. Medical Afrophobia in the context of South Africa refers to the fear or hatred of people from other African countries who seek medical treatment or services in South Africa. This phenomenon is often fuelled by prejudice and misinformation and has led to discrimination, violence, and other forms of mistreatment against foreign nationals seeking medical care. Many South Africans have expressed concerns about the burden that foreign nationals may place on the country’s healthcare system, and there have been instances of violence and harassment against African foreign nationals seeking medical care. | 2023-02-16 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Daily Maverick | https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2023-02-16-healthcare-without-borders-the-importance-of-eradicating-medical-afrophobia/ |
| | Article | A massive international study has found that a single course of a cheap, generic, and shelf-stable drug cut the risk of maternal sepsis after birth by more than a third. The study backers estimate that the drug could prevent 2 million cases of sepsis — a deadly infection complication — in mothers every year. A four-pill course of azithromycin, an antibiotic discovered over 40 years ago, cut the risk of maternal sepsis by 35% for mothers in low- and middle-income countries. A previous study in the US found IV azithromycin was highly effective at reducing maternal sepsis risk in C-section patients, cutting rates by about half, and it is now a recommended practice for cesarean births. | 2023-02-16 | 2023-02-28 12:00 AM | Freethink | https://www.freethink.com/health/maternal-sepsis |
| | Article | Meet Rhulane Madale, the dedicated Health Systems Trust (HST) Data Management Officer who has been serving the SA SURE PRO project in KwaZulu-Natal's uMgungundlovu District since October 2018. Her accurate and timeous reporting supports HST's Monitoring and Evaluation teams as well as district and sub-district levels of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health (KZN DoH) in strengthening local capacity for providing sustainable HIV and TB care and treatment in line with the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets to end AIDS by 2030. Recording and reporting accurate data is critical for health systems strengthening, and that is why Madale views herself as being a watchman through the lens of data. | 2023-02-15 | 2023-02-21 12:00 AM | Health Systems Trust | https://www.hst.org.za/media/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=166 |
| | Article | Everyone is vulnerable in some way, whether it’s to natural disasters, chronic diseases or hunger. But some are more at risk than others because of what they are exposed to socially, economically and environmentally. This phenomenon is known as social vulnerability. It refers to the attributes of society that make people and places susceptible to natural disasters, adverse health outcomes and social inequalities. | 2023-02-15 | 2023-02-21 12:00 AM | The Conversation | https://theconversation.com/hunger-in-south-africa-study-shows-one-in-five-are-at-risk-199133 |
| | Article | “Many women will be affected by a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and we see the devastating effect this diagnosis has every day in our surgical and oncology units at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH). The reality is that our services and resources cannot keep up with this massive patient load,” she said. “There is an urgent need to address the deficit in the distribution and capacity of breast cancer surgical services in South Africa and to close the cancer care gap we face.” | 2023-02-15 | 2023-02-21 12:00 AM | University of Cape Town | https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2023-02-15-project-flamingo-a-beacon-of-light-for-patients-with-breast-cancer |
| | Article | Free home tests for four common — and curable — sexually transmitted infections (STIs), namely gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis and trichomoniasis, could soon be available at chronic medicine pick-up points around the country, according to a draft of South Africa’s fifth HIV, TB and STI action plan. Government clinics will also roll out STI tests that give results on the same day. The new plan is being finalised after comments from the public and civil society were added, says Nelson Dlamini, communications manager of the South African National Aids Council (Sanac). The final draft will be published on World TB Day on 24 March. | 2023-02-14 | 2023-02-21 12:00 AM | Bhekisisa | https://bhekisisa.org/health-news-south-africa/2023-02-14-could-sti-home-tests-be-coming-to-sas-free-medicine-pick-up-points/ |
| | Article | Medical laboratory testing is the heartbeat of medicine. It provides critical data for physicians to diagnose and treat disease, dating back thousands of years. Unfortunately, laboratory medicine as a field is poorly understood by both the public and health care communities. | 2023-02-14 | 2023-02-21 12:00 AM | The Conversation | https://theconversation.com/how-do-blood-tests-work-medical-laboratory-scientists-explain-the-pathway-from-blood-draw-to-diagnosis-and-treatment-196874 |