Health e News
- ///Health
The National Department of Health confirmed that it will not roll out the new Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine right now. And even though the approval from the South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA) is welcome, the new kid on the block would not make an appearance just yet. Health Ministry spokesperson, Foster Mohale, said this latest development doesn’t translate into immediate procurement decisions. The regulatory body announced yesterday that it had registered the BBIBP vaccine, more commonly known as Sinopharm, which is manfactured in China. It was given the green light based on “acceptable safety, quality and efficacy data”. Decisions based on need “Our decisions are informed by the need. Currently, we have enough stock of Pfizer and J&J which can last us for the next few months. We have to avoid wastage in the form of expiry,” said Mohale. The Sinopharm COVID-19 double dose jab is an inactivated Vero Cell
South Africa’s COVID-19 infection rate has reached a plateau for now, but Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, believes that matters will improve once schools have settled in. Phaahla said that there was no serious decline nor worrying rise in infections during a COVID-19 update earlier this morning. It comes just days after Cabinet approved changes to the country’s Alert Level 1 lockdown restrictions. Opening of schools He added that the change from a decline to a plateau was due to the opening of schools. “Our epidemiologists believe that the stagnation in the slowing down of new infections can be linked to the opening of schools. Over the last 14 days, we have witnessed more infections among those 20 years and younger,” said Phaahla. Over the past week, the country has seen a decrease of 0,3% in new cases. Only three provinces saw an increase – Free State at 20%, Gauteng
A bungled tender process has seen the critical aeromedical services in the Eastern Cape (EC) grounded which is costing lives and delaying service delivery. Given the province’s difficult terrain, these medical helicopters are crucial in airlifting patients who require urgent medical care. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party in the EC legislature, has slammed the latest fiasco to hit the province. The EC Department of Health went to tender after the contract with the previous service provided expired six months ago. The tender was awarded but the losing bidder took the department to court citing irregularities. This delayed the process of any work commencing. Jane Cowley, DA Member of the Provincial Legislature, didn’t mince her words. ‘Blood on her hands’ “Meth Nomakhosazana, the Provincial Health MEC, has blood on her hands. She has failed to get the aeromedical service up and running over the festive season despite her
The ball is rolling as South Africa prepares to make the HIV prevention injection a reality in a country where close to eight million people are living with the virus. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month, National Department of Health spokesperson, Foster Moahle, said an application has been submitted to obtain the new long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA). The department is waiting for approval from the South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA). “The fact that it is long-acting makes it a game-changer because it is likely to provide prevention measures over a longer time. This could help eliminate possible stigma and unintended disclosures,” said Mohale. What you need to know What is Apretude (cabotegravir)? The HIV injection is a combination of two medications, cabotegravir, and rilpivirine. Cabotegravir targets a protein in HIV called integrase which is essential for viral replication. It also stops the virus from
A leading figure at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) reveals that nine months after a devastating fire ravaged the facility, nothing has been done to repair it. The fire last April forced the closure of key parts of the hospital which has had a devastating impact on the public health system, and other Gauteng hospitals. Head of Internal Medicine, Professor Adam Mahomed, said the situation is frustrating. Several key areas such as the cardiothoracic intensive care unit and respiratory ward were affected and about 200 beds were lost in the blaze. “Nothing to date has happened and when I mean nothing, I mean the word zero. They are still getting reports as well as engineering feedback. I don’t even think they have proper costing on how much it would cost to repair certain aspects,” said Mahomed. ‘It breaks my soul’ He added: “It breaks my soul for what
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has raised a red flag that many malaria cases are being misdiagnosed as COVID-19. This is as South Africa enters its peak malaria season. Both have non-specific early symptoms like fever, chills, headaches, fatigue, and muscle pain – but malaria poses a more immediate threat. People who have recently visited a malaria-endemic area and start to feel ill must seek medical attention immediately. In 2020, an estimated 627 000 people died of malaria; most were young children in sub-Saharan Africa. ‘Misdiagnosis is common’ Dr. Jaishree Raman, Principal Medical Scientist at the Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, said misdiagnosis is common. “Misdiagnosis is occurring at many levels. Firstly, the patients think that they either have COVID-19 or the flu and are only going for COVID tests, often when they are rather ill. This complicates the picture, as respiratory difficulties are symptoms of
There is some light at the end of the tunnel for cancer patients following the establishment of radiotherapy centres at two of Gauteng’s major hospitals. Two new machines – worth R52 million each – arrived at Chris Hani Baragwanath and George Mukhari Academic Hospitals last November. It’s a welcome boost for oncology services in the province which have taken a backseat due to COVID-19. A backlog that delayed surgeries for almost two years can now be prioritised. The Linear Accelerator (Linac) machines deliver high-energy X-rays or electrons to destroy cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. However, the machines are still in storage because they need to be housed in protective bunkers that haven’t been built yet. Shorter waiting times Gauteng Health spokesperson, Kwara Kekana, said the province hopes to slash waiting times. “Much of the progress on the project was delayed by COVID-19 disruptions. The two hospitals are
President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed the opening of a new vaccine plant in Cape Town as Africa’s ticket into a new era of health science during its launch earlier today. South African-born health technologies billionaire, Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, joined Ramaphosa as they proudly cut the ribbon. The NantSA vaccine plant is expected to produce a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by 2025. “We want to manufacture this in Africa for Africa and export it to the world. President Ramaphosa said ‘come home, we will make this happen,’” said Soon-Shiong. The NantSA vaccine production hub is situated in Brackenfell’s Brackengate Business Park. It will also produce cancer vaccines and next-generation cell-based immunotherapies which would make it the biggest such factory in Africa. Most importantly, it could speed up the continent’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout. ‘New era of health science for Africa’ Ramaphosa said that this facility would help boost South Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities.
A study, released today, has provided the first global evidence that two COVID-19 doses, followed by a booster, may not provide sufficient protection against being infected with the Omicron variant. South African and German scientists conducted the study when the Omicron variant was identified in SA last November. Seven fully vaccinated German tourists, who visited Cape Town where they got infected with the new strain, were used for the study. The scientists were drawn from Stellenbosch University, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, and the Universities of the Western Cape and Cape Town, as well as the National Health Laboratory Service, ‘High levels of antibodies’ The group consisted of five women and two men, four of whom were working at different hospitals in Cape Town, while the others were on vacation. Six of them had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Five of them received their Pfizer booster doses, with
- ///News, Our Health
Parents may be breathing a sigh of relief as the last of the country’s schools reopen for the 2022 academic year, but not all children are looking forward to meeting their fellow classmates. For them, going back to school means only one thing – more bullying. Simphiwe Radebe* recalls the hellish start to his first year of high school. What should’ve been an exciting time for this 17-year-old Grade 12 learner, quickly turned into something he’d rather forget. Ridiculed by classmates “On our first day of school we had to stand up in class and introduce ourselves and at the time, I wasn’t fluent in English. I was mocked and labelled “umkhaya” which translates to someone who is from the village. I was the laughing stock of the class for weeks,” says Radebe. The matric said he wouldn’t want any child to go through what he went through. He began
No one ever squeals with delight when they have to go for annual health checkups – but this is no reason to dread or avoid them. They are designed to assess the risk of potential medical conditions and allow a doctor to pick up early warning signs. Once you reach the age of 45, these yearly visits become imperative. Early detection and treatment will not only give one a better quality of life, but also possibly a longer life. Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, Vice Chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), highlighted the importance of these health checkups. He also reminded the younger generation that they aren’t immune. “Having an annual checkup is very important. And the purpose is to detect any abnormalities in your system, before they develop. So, it’s very important that you pick it up in in the early stages of the disease,” said Mzukwa. Health tests
It’s official – Gauteng, the former epicentre of South Africa’s Omicron variant driven surge in cases last November – has exited the fourth wave. But, Health Minister, Joe Phaahla, who announced the news while updating the country on government’s latest efforts to fight COVID-19 earlier today, is worried about the country’s vaccination rates. “In terms of the technical definition of a wave, we can now say officially that Gauteng has technically exited the fourth wave this week,” said Phaahla. Phaahla said the National Department of Health has seen a 13,9% reduction of new cases and 6.3% reduction in hospitalisations. However, the Western Cape, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, aren’t out the woods just yet. Both provinces recorded their highest number of cases this past week. Vaccinations rates below par As of 13 January, South Africa has administered 28.7 million doses of vaccines to a total of 18.4 million adults (45.5%) above the