Health e News
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Experts and parents have weighed in on the National Health Department’s decision to start vaccinating children aged between 12 and 17 with a single dose of of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as from today, evoking a mixed bag of reactions. The Department of Health is hoping that half of the 6.5 million children falling in this cohort – 3.25 million – will be jabbed by mid-January 2022 as they start their academic years either at school or university. Currently, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is the only jab that has been approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for use in children 12 years and older. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pfizer vaccine is 93% effective against hospitalisation in 12 to 18-year-olds. Older people need to be prioritised But the decision to administer the single Pfizer dose has raised quite
With the local government elections less than two weeks ago, the Gauteng Command Council is warning the province could enter a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in November. Gauteng exited the third wave three weeks ago as new infections steadily declined. There was a slight uptick on Tuesday with a 1.6 percent increase in new infections in South Africa as a whole. Gauteng Premier David Makhura has expressed concern that the municipal election, scheduled for November 1, could be a super spreader event. “If we had more vaccinations, we wouldn’t be as worried. We are not even at 50% (nationally) with regards to single Pfizer doses given. We would be happier if we were at least 60%, and we still have a very long way to go,” he added. The government had set a target of immunising 70 percent of adults with at least one dose by year-end. Makhura
Local clinical trials have started on antiviral pills that can be administered in place of the vaccine injection to prevent COVID-19 infection, which – if successful – would address vaccine hesitancy among people who are afraid of needles. By Max Matavire. The African Health Research Institute has started clinical trials on antiviral pills that will potentially be offered as an alternative to the vaccine injection to prevent COVID-19 infections. This is according to the institute’s deputy director, Professor Thumbi Ndungu, who said that the results of the trials are expected in about six months’, adding that the study is expected to attract thousands of participants. “We do not know how effective it will be, as the results will only be out in six months. The clinical trials have already begun for antivirals that can be taken to prevent infections. If found to be effective, it would be a very significant
A new way to fight the Covid-19 pandemic is on the horizon. Current treatments are expensive and require patients to be admitted to hospital. But a drug developed by Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics is on the cusp of changing this. Here is what you need to know about the Covid-19 pill, Molnupiravir. What is Molnupiravir? It’s an oral antiviral medicine that people can take at home which treats mild to moderate cases of Covid-19. Antivirals are medications that help your body fight off certain viruses that can cause disease. Antiviral drugs can also protect you from getting viral infections or spreading them. Why is it the current buzzword in the treatment of Covid-19? It cuts the risk of hospitalisation or death by 50 percent in adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Of 385 patients who received the drug, only 28 patients were hospitalised compared to 53 out of 377 who
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Living with epilepsy has proved tough for an aspiring artist who has had to put all his dreams and hopes on hold as learns to cope with the debilitating effects of his condition. According to Epilepsy South Africa (Epilepsy SA), epilepsy affects 1 in every 100 people in South Africa which equates to at least half a million based on a total population of 52 million. Masie Moagi is one of these individuals who experienced seizures at a young age. “The seizures started early, I can’t remember at what age but they won’t severe. I was in primary school. They would come and go and then disappear for a long time. I thought my troubles were over,” he recalled. Moagi, who has since struggled to secure employment after matriculating two years ago, explained how the seizures returned later in high school while completing Grade 10. Learning to live with seizures
Antoinette Harvey was looking forward to graduating after three years of studying alternative neurological therapies when her son died one month before he turned three. Maxim was born with a severe infection which caused oxygen deprivation. He was diagnosed with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy with Severe Dystonia Scholiosis and Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI). Harvie said her pregnancy had been uneventful but at 38 weeks, her son stopped moving, resulting in her having an emergency caesarean delivery (C-section). “As soon as he was born, he was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) because he wasn’t breathing properly and was swollen,” explained his mom. She added: “So, they tested him and looked like he had an in-neuro infection for about 10 weeks before he was born. It went undetected and in those 10 days, caused brain damage.” The new parents were informed that their seven-day-old son had cerebral palsy and that
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