Health e News
by Chantelle Kriel, CEO of Casa Caritas. Most children with disabilities require care beyond what parents or primary caregivers can provide. In South Africa, many parents with disabled children struggle to earn a basic living, let alone afford the optimal care their children need. And, if children with disabilities do not receive proper care, they can be at risk of developing malnutrition, aspiration from not being fed correctly and scoliosis, which is a sideways curvature of the spine due to a lack of adequate physical therapy. Today, approximately 15% (more than one billion) of people globally have some form of disability. To highlight the plight of people with disabilities, the United Nations (UN) established International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 1992, which is celebrated every year on the 3rd of December 2023. The day is aimed at creating awareness of the many challenges faced by the disabled community and
by Dr Ntombifikile Mtshali, CEO of Shout-It-Now, a South African NPC that delivers youth-friendly, community-based HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health and related services in the Gauteng and North West provinces. Young children learn by imitating the behaviours of those around them, especially adults in their immediate environment. What they see and hear – they do. While this is perfectly acceptable when it applies to the respectable traits and good habits that form the foundation of being a responsible citizen, it is not for those behaviours that are inappropriate, toxic and harmful. Our children emulate all our behaviours because they do not know the difference. It is up to us to show them. For the past 25 years South Africa has initiated its annual 16 Days of Activism for no Violence Against Women and Children campaign, but despite efforts, gender-based violence is rampant in the country. Every single day there are 146
South Africans are facing tough economic times this holiday season. Poultry producers have warned of an increase in the price of chicken and eggs. This carries major concerns about the nutritional needs of poor and working class families who rely on these as their main protein source. Protein is an important part of a healthy and well balanced diet. The protein in our diets comes mainly from food that we get from animals like meat, fish, chicken and dairy. “If chicken gets a bit more expensive, then people – especially low-income earners won’t be able to afford it. And eggs are very good for children and pregnant women. So an increase in the price of both chicken and eggs might compromise some people’s nutrient intake,” says Professor Xikombiso Mbhenyane, head of the Division of Human Nutrition, and Research Chair in Food Environments, Nutrition and Health at Stellenbosch University. We get
Hellen Gitau, African Population and Health Research Center; Blessing Mberu, African Population and Health Research Center; Kanyiva Muindi, African Population and Health Research Center, and Samuel Iddi, African Population and Health Research Center Housing is a critical social determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy housing as a shelter that supports physical, mental and social wellbeing. The WHO has developed guidelines outlining the attributes of healthy housing. These include structural soundness, as well as access to a local community that enables social interactions. Healthy housing protects inhabitants from the effects of disasters, pollution, waste and extreme heat or cold. It provides a feeling of home, including a sense of belonging, security and privacy. Health risks in the home environment are important to think about because of the amount of time people spend there. In countries where unemployment levels are high or where most work is home based,
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One in 3 South African women experience depression and/or anxiety during and after pregnancy. Empathy and positive mental health screening at clinics are essential parts of maternity care. This film by the Perinatal Mental Health Project at the University of Cape puts a spotlight on the training of health workers on obstetric violence, respectful maternity care and mental health.
by Dr Lee Randall an independent road safety researcher and co-founder of the Road Ethics Project Globally, young people aged 5-29 – especially males – are the most likely to die in road crashes. This is very concerning in Africa where an extremely high proportion of the population is made up of young people. This continent has an especially bad road death rate: 27 out of every 100,000 Africans die due to road crashes. This is in contrast with the best-performing European region where only 7 out of every 100,000 people die due to road crashes. Put plainly, in 2019 there were 18 Africans for every 10 Europeans, but 43 Africans died on the roads for every 10 Europeans who died the same way. South Africa is often seen as having good roads and road safety, but is actually not too far below the African average – the 2021 road
By Chris Bateman, Freelance Journalist With HIV positivity among urban transgender women in South Africa estimated at 46%, it is becoming increasingly urgent for healthcare workers to undergo sensitivity training. A transgender woman is a person who was assigned the male sex at birth but identifies and lives as woman. This message emerged in a session on, “Social enablers for key populations,” at the sixth HIV Clinicians’ Society Conference in Cape Town last week. Key populations are defined groups of people who are at increased risk of HIV acquisition. They also often have legal and social issues related to their identities or behaviours that increase their vulnerability to HIV. Professor Elma de Vries, a family physician, and secretary of the Professional Association for Transgender Health, says gender-affirming healthcare is highly effective in improving health and wellbeing. In the HIV context, it has been shown to improve viral load suppression. Service
Karen Hofman, University of the Witwatersrand and Susan Goldstein, University of the Witwatersrand Death rates in South Africa have declined slightly during the past few years. But the country faces a steady rise in both death and disability caused by increases in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer. According to the NCD Alliance, a civil society network, non-communicable diseases cause 71% of deaths globally. Of these deaths 85% occur in low and middle income countries. In South Africa, according to Statistics South Africa, there was an increase of 58% in deaths from non-communicable diseases from 1997 to 2018. Diabetes is the second leading cause of death in South Africa after tuberculosis. Diabetes affects 12% of the adult population, wreaking massive damage to individuals’ health and livelihoods, and to the national fiscus. The direct cost of diabetes to South Africa’s health system is R2.7 billion (US$150 million) – and that
By Chris Bateman, Freelance Journalist Only two-thirds of children in South Africa getting treatment for HIV are virally suppressed. Viral suppression is a measure of how well antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs reduce HIV viral load. A high HIV viral load suggests that the person is not taking their treatment constantly, or that the treatment isn’t working. Delays in sourcing long-acting, palatable oral ARVs for South Africa’s infants and children have been cited as a reason for the low viral load suppression. And, children need an adult caregiver to help them take the medication on a daily basis. This routine gets disrupted every time there’s a change in adult caregiving. This, in turn, leads to lower drug adherence. Professor Mo Archary, Paediatric Infectious Disease Specialist at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, says this has had a lethal impact. He cited a watershed multi-author study on the impact of the AIDS epidemic
The global measures to end the tuberculosis epidemic are showing signs of recovery post-Covid. More cases have been diagnosed and the number of people who died from the disease has gone down. Despite this apparent recovery, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says urgent action is needed to end the global TB epidemic by 2030. On Tuesday the WHO launched the global TB report which takes stock of the epidemic and the progress towards its elimination. The report paints a stark picture: targets for TB treatment, prevention and funding have been missed. TB is preventable and curable, but it was the world’s second leading cause of death from an infectious disease in 2022. It spreads through the air when a person who is sick with the disease sneezes, spits or coughs. It often affects the lungs but can occur in other parts of the body. Globally in 2022, TB caused an
