Rheumatic heart disease: the ‘€˜forgotten’€™ killer
A heart condition, which can be treated with a simple antibiotic, remains the leading cause of cardiac disease in children on the African continent.
Health
Read More » Rheumatic heart disease: the ‘€˜forgotten’€™ killer
Plain packaging may deter teens from smoking
New research, published in the scientific journal Addiction, shows that plain cigarette packaging (standard packages without attractive designs and imagery) may help to draw the attention of some adolescent smokers to the health warnings on the package. If so, this may in turn deter young smokers from continuing to smoke.
Daily aspirin cuts cancer deaths
People who take aspirin daily may not only be helping their hearts, but also reducing their odds of dying from cancer, according to American Cancer Society researchers.
Lack of pay frustrates Gauteng counsellors Living with AIDS # 527
Repeated promises by the Gauteng Health Department to pay lay counsellors and home-based care givers who have gone without their monthly stipends of R1 500 for four months have still not materialised. The 6000-plus volunteers have voiced their frustration over the non-payment.
Obesity in African women increase risk of newborn death
Babies born to mothers in sub-Saharan who are overweight or obese are significantly more likely to die in the first two days after their birth, according to new research.
Price for rapid TB test slashed
The price of a rapid diagnostic test, which slashes the time to reach a diagnosis for the most common drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis, has almost been halved - including in South Africa.
Challenge to cigarette advertising ban fails
The Constitutional Court has denied British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) permission to appeal a court ban on advertising among and recruiting young people to the deadly habit.
Chemo can also cause more cancer
Chemotherapy, used to treat cancer, can damage healthy cells causing them to secrete a protein that sustains tumour growth and resistance to further treatment, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Report reveals ‘€˜horror’€™ of tobacco farming
Tobacco farming is harmful to the environment and to the farm workers with multinational tobacco companies contributing to the problem by exploiting local farmers, new research has revealed.
Depression could shorten cancer survival
Cancer patients with symptoms of depression have shorter survival times than those showing no sign of depression, according to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE.
‘Epstein is wrong about South Africa’s AIDS response’
A South African AIDS activist and two of the country's top HIV doctors have tackled a well-respected journalist and author regarding what they believe are a number of errors regarding the country's epidemic and the benefits of ARVs. By Nathan Geffen, Francois Venter and Francesca Conradie
Communication key to behaviour change Living with AIDS # 526
Communication through media and from person to person is vital to influence behaviour change that is useful for HIV prevention, according to research.
Progress in reducing mother to child transmission
: Great progress has been made in reducing early mother to child transmission of HIV in the country. A study by the Medical Research Council (MRC) shows that the national HIV mother to child transmission rate was approximately two point seven percent in 2011.
Stem cells blamed for cancer re-growth
New evidence proving the existence of cancer stem cells may bring an end to the long-standing debate in the scientific community about how tumours grow.
All fired up over ban on smoking
A number of roleplayers have made their voices heard since the publication of the new smoking regulations that will ban all indoor smoking in public places and restrict smoking in public outdoor areas.