Health e News
As of 15 March 2010, 21 human laboratory confirmed cases of River Valley Fever (RVF) have been reported in the Free State with two deaths. This brings a total to 22 human cases of RVF in South Africa, with one in the Northern Cape.
With 87% of the world’s population or approximately 5.9 billion people using safe drinking-water sources, the world is on track to meet or even exceed the drinking-water target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the new WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report titled: “Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water ‘2010 Update Report,” released today.
Lush food gardens set up by an Oxfam partner have been a lifeline for communities in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, in the recent economic hardships.
South Africa is sitting on a malnutrition time bomb ‘ which has seen people either being severely over- or underweight, top nutrition expert Professor Demetre Labadarios has warned.
Sonke Gender Justice leader and ANC veteran Patrick Godana has described ANC Youth League President Julius Malema as ‘Goofy’ and vowed his organisation will ‘never allow any man in leadership to undermine the dignity of women’.
They sat in little excited huddles of four around tables in the long, narrow hospital room. Some old, some younger, some still children. Many of them had bald heads, despite their young age, while others covered their hair loss with scarves.
Cancer activist and one of history’s greatest cyclists Lance Armstrong has called on the 38 000 Argus participants to paint the race yellow on Sunday when they line up for the world’s biggest organised cycle race.
Mother-to-child HIV transmission in the developing world could be eliminated by 2015 and so could malaria if rich countries and industry do not reduce or discontinue their funding, according to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Cabinet has approved the implementation plan to scale up the HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment programme which will include ministers and other leaders taking HIV tests.
A campaign of financial incentives to help quit smoking; a project to help change attitudes of doctors to patients; and research into the prevention of death from severe malaria in children will scoop three of the top prizes at the second international BMJ Group Awards ceremony tonight (10 March 2010).
The Treatment Action Campaign’s General Secretary Vuyiseka Dubula-Majola and Chairperson Nonkosi Khumalo have received the John M Lloyd Foundation Leadership Award in Los Angeles.
OPINION: Recent legislation to strengthen tobacco control policy in South Africa is a progressive step to protect the public health of the country. By Evan Blecher.
