Health e News
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The overwhelming bulk of evidence presented on the second day of World Health Organisation’s hearings into the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control called on the international health body to impose tough restrictions on the sale and marketing of tobacco.
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The first ever hearings by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to adopt a convention to control tobacco products worldwide began in Geneva yesterday (Thursday). SUE VALENTINE reports.
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Tobacco giants Philip Morris and British American Tobacco both stated explicitly yesterday that nicotine is addictive and that smoking causes a variety of diseases. SUE VALENTINE reports.
Phelophepa, Transnet’s mobile health train that has bought primary health care to thousands of rural South Africans, is managing to reach almost 5 000 individuals every week. Within four years the train has managed to reach a total of 67 855 patients, who receive quality and in most cases, free health care. ANSO THOM reports.
Every afternoon at about 5pm a red van stops next to an open piece of land in Masoyi near the Kruger Park. A woman gets out and looks around, sometimes staring at the piece of land, other days “shoo-ing people who have erected shacks overnight”. Behind this piece of land lies a dream. “I must dream, I must’¦,” Lucy Ngobeni whispers.
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“Never give up. No, never give up. Never, never, never give up. No, never give up.” Swaying and clapping in unison, the women of Mzinoni outside Bethal seem to draw strength from singing before dispersing to visit their patients.
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Mpumalanga women in Bethal have banded together to visit bars and shebeens on a daily basis to arm their community against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Anso Thom joined them during one of their campaign visits.
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After Mercy Makhalemele disclosed that she was HIV positive, she lost almost everything. But she fought back and is now presenter of a TV series that offers practical advice to people living with HIV/AIDS. Kerry Cullinan reports.
What can be done in societies with a legacy of violence and division to help heal children to enable them to develop to their full potential and break the cycle of violence and poverty? Sue Valentine attended a meeting of the Northern Ireland-South African colloquium for a day of realistic and inspiring discussion of what interventions can make a difference.
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There is little doubt of the urgent need to involve citizens in community development. But current labour legislation discourages, rather than encourages, volunteering in South Africa. Non-governmental organisations operating on shoestring budgets cannot afford to employ additional staff and need all the voluntary help they can get.
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Nkosi Johnson is 11 years old and is living with AIDS. His mother died from AIDS when he was very young and he has grown up in Johannesburg with his adopted mother, Gail Johnson. Among the giant sets and razzmatazz of the opening ceremony of the 13th International AIDS conference in Durban in July, Nkosi cut a small figure as he stepped onto the stage to deliver his poignant message to the world.
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HIV positive mothers are often advised to bottle-feed their babies to avoid the possible transmission of HIV through breast-milk. This sets HIV-infected women apart from all other mothers, who are encouraged to breastfeed exclusively for six months. But exciting new research, conducted by Professor Anna Coutsoudis and colleagues at the University of Natal, shows that exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months may result in no greater risk of HIV transmission than exclusive bottle-feeding. Coutsoudis’s findings still need to be confirmed by other studies. If they are confirmed, it will be extremely good news for HIV positive women, especially in developing countries such as South Africa where exclusive breastfeeding is cheaper, healthier, and a more socially acceptable option in many communities.