Health e News

Compensation system fails former asbestos mine workers

The Cape plc court case has captured world headlines, but workers at other, now defunct, asbestos mines in the Northern Province are struggling to gain compensation for the work that has crushed their health.

Bending ears with a musical message
Living with AIDS – Programme 33

The traditional music that migrant workers bring with them from their rural villages to hostel life is being used as an effective weapon to deliver HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention messages to men living in single sex quarters on the mines and in the inner city. The initiative is run by the African Culture, Music and Dance Association (Acumda) in conjunction with the Gauteng Health Department. This is the third and final part of this series.

A message to business: “South Africa has AIDS”
Living with AIDS – Programme 34

Two leading business figures, Clem Sunter of Anglo American and Peter Doyle of Metropolitan Life, are alarmed at the slow and ill-informed attitude by the business sector towards the presence of HIV/AIDS in our society.

Teenage sex – an exchange for cash, cellphones and cars
Living with AIDS – Programme 30

Researchers Nabisa Jama and Mzikazi Nduna work for the Stepping Stones programme at the Medical Research Council. In this package we hear about the materialistic undertones to many adolescent sexual relationships and the gap between what boys and girls understand by love.

Free diflucan offer extended to least developed nations

Drug giant Pfizer has extended its offer of free diflucan (fluconazole) to HIV/AIDS patients in 50 of the least developed nations as well.

Nevirapine programme finally gets the go-ahead

When the Minister of Health delivers her budget speech in Parliament today (Tuesday, June 5th) it is expected she will give the go-ahead for provinces to administer Nevirapine, the drug that helps prevent HIV positive pregnant women from passing the virus on to their babies. However, as Kerry Cullinan reports, the announcement has been all too slow in coming.

Nkosi’s battle finally over

Young Nkosi Johnson’€™s long and exhausting battle against AIDS is finally over. 12 year old Nkosi, one of the most inspiring AIDS ambassadors the world will ever see, died peacefully in his sleep at 5.40am this morning (Friday, June 1). Anso Thom reports.

A love letter to Nkosi

A few weeks before Nkosi Johnson collapsed and fell into a coma, he spent seven days on holiday in Cape Town. He stayed with his long time friends Anso Thom and Gerda Kruger and their son, Siya. Everywhere they went, from Cape Point to Camps Bay, Nkosi was recognised and greeted by people who told him of people they knew living with HIV/AIDS. As the vigil next to his bedside continues, Anso and Gerda have written a personal reflection of the impact this little boy has had on their lives.

Johannesburg Airport investigated for illegal tobacco advertising

The National Council Against Smoking has fired the first salvo in the war against tobacco advertising by laying a formal complaint with the police after several shops at Johannesburg International Airport were found to be displaying logos and advertisements. Health-e reports on World No Tobacco Day…

Anger and attitude affect rate of heart disease

There is substantial research to show that in addition to diet and exercise, psycho-social factors play a significant role in in the cause ‘€“ and treatment ‘€“ of heart disease. Kerry Cullinan reports.

New trial for children’€™s malaria vaccine

Africa’€™s biggest killer disease could be stopped in its tracks if a new malaria vaccine for children proves successful in clinical trials which are due to begin soon in The Gambia.

Window on the world of family medicine

Smoking, domestic violence, HIV, heart attacks, depression… All societies’ woes – many exacerbated by the stresses of globalisation – land up in the hands of doctors.But being a family doctor is often an isolating experience. Thus, the 16th World Congress of Family Doctors (WONCA) held last week in Durban was an opportunity for doctors to get out of their consulting rooms and in touch with new research and new ideas for treating patients. In many ways, the congress ‘€“ which attracted 2 288 delegates from 76 countries – was an assessment of the pulse rate of the world’€™s citizens.

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