Hospitals exempted from SA power cuts
As South Africa braces for another month of rolling blackouts, followed by four months of electricity rationing, the country's power utility, Eskom, has assured hospitals that they will stay plugged into the national power grid.

Health dept to close illegal abortion clinics
[Gabi Khumalo] The Free State Department of Health in conjunction with the South African Police Services is working on shutting down all illegal abortion clinics.

Somalia: Kismayo's only hospital closes as aid workers killed
Services at the only hospital in Somalia's coastal city of Kismayo, 500km south of the capital Mogadishu, stopped on 29 January, a day after four people - including two foreign aid workers - were killed in a blast, local sources told IRIN.

How climate change will impact on you
Climate change will have a huge impact on human health and bold environmental policy decisions are needed now to protect the world's population, according to the author of an article published in the BMJ.

Company news: Kiss bad breath good-bye - National Dentyl pH Fresh Breath Week - Paula Wilson Media Consulting
National Dentyl pH Fresh Breath Week runs from 3 to 10 February

International paediatric expert on South African lecture tour - Maya Naidoo Communications
Prominent paediatrician Professor Benny Kerzner will be in South Africa in early February to deliver a series of lectures to medical and nutritional professionals.

May the cause be with you – don't miss this wine auction
Epilepsy South Africa, a non-profit organisation that aims to provide equal opportunities for people with epilepsy and other disabilities, will be hosting a glamorous wine auction on 19 March 2008, at the Arabella Quays (previously the Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel) in Cape Town.


Pay attention to employee's mental needs and save billions, psychiatrist tells business - Magna Carta
Mental illness in the workplace costs South African businesses billions of rand in absenteeism and lost productivity annually – a trend that could be reversed to a great degree if more attention was given to the problem, says a leading psychiatrist.

New Zealand warns of risk from anti-epileptic drugs
New Zealand's Ministry of Health drug regulation arm Medsafe is alerting health care professionals about a small increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in patients taking anti-epileptic medicines.

New relief for UI sufferers
Topical gel set to offer welcome relief for urinary incontinence sufferers.

Positive people on ARVs not sexually infectious say experts
Swiss HIV experts have said that HIV-positive individuals who follow their antiretroviral (ARV) treatment consistently and who do not have any sexually transmitted infections (STIs), cannot infect their sexual partners.


Three African countries to Launch pilot PEPFAR programmes
Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania plan to launch the pilot phases of an initiative that aims to promote HIV prevention and care strategies among people already living with the virus

Jane Wangui: "I don't know where to get my drugs when the camp closes"
Jane Wangui an HIV-positive mother-of-four, is living in Nairobi's Jamhuri Park, where a camp has been set up for internally displaced persons who fled the violence that erupted across the country after controversial December 2007 elections. She explained to IRIN/PlusNews how the displacement has affected her life.


Guinea-Bissau: Traditional beliefs hinder PMTCT
A pig, half a sack of rice, black corn and five litres of sugarcane brandy are the ingredients a traditional healer in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau uses to perform a ritual many believe will prevent a woman who has given birth from getting HIV.

Company news: Medi-Clinic Southern Africa's position on 2008 private hospital tariff increases - Magna Carta
Medi-Clinic Southern Africa (MCSA) wishes to comment on the issues pertaining to the increases in private hospital tariffs, which were highlighted in recent media reports.

New specialised burns unit opens at Netcare Milpark Hospital - Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA)
Netcare Milpark Hospital is renowned throughout South Africa and beyond our borders as a leader in the handling of trauma cases. The hospital has the largest private trauma complex outside of the USA and has over 15 years experience in the handling of major burns. Now it will also host South Africa's only dedicated private Burns Centre.

World Cancer Day: Medi-clinic provide excellence in cancer care - Clare Manicom
World Cancer Day is on 4 February

First aid for burns: From trauma specialists at Netcare Milpark Hospital - Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA)
We commemorated National Burns Day on Wednesday 23 January. Despite the fact that South Africa's statistics on burn deaths and injuries are quite alarming, not much was mentioned about National Burns Day in any media.

BURKINA FASO: 5 million at risk as meningitis death toll climbs
Amid warnings of a major meningitis outbreak in Africa this year, epidemic levels of the bacterial infection have broken out in parts of Burkina Faso.

Company news: New CEO takes over reins at Bankmed - Magna Carta PR
Milton Streak has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Principal Officer of closed medical scheme Bankmed.

Mast cells could play key role in treating lung ailments
Lungs' mast cells could provide new treatment target for asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Antidepressant trial results not always what they may seem
Selective reporting of clinical trials of antidepressants may have adverse consequences for researchers, doctors and patients

Molecular genetic tools can save one-in-three patients chemotherapy - Mango OMC
[Professor Justus Apffelstaedt] Experienced doctors have observed that some patients with very early cancers, against all expectations, rapidly develop metastases and die, which lead to several research groups toward the end of the 1990s embarking on projects to understand why.

Industry news: Pharmacists cash in big with X/procure® X/points(tm) Payout - Owlhurst Communications
X/procure® recently made industry history by being the first organisation within its ambit to reward and recognise those utilising its electronic procurement system. Making a cash payout for their system's X/points(tm) rewards programme in excess of R 240 000, pharmacists the country over ended 2007 on a high note.

Good early nutrition can make you richer
Eating nutritious food at an early age will not only ensure a source of income as an adult but also better pay, according to a study published in the current issue of The Lancet.

Vaginal probiotic product reduce recurrence rate of bacterial vaginosis
A newly published double blind, randomised, placebo controlled study (1) shows that EcoVag, a patented vaginal probiotic product from the Danish company, Bifodan, significantly reduces the recurrence rate of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) following antibiotic treatment.

Oral contraceptive pill offers long-term protection against ovarian cancer
A recently published study shows that taking the oral contraceptive pill can protect against ovarian cancer for up to 30 years

The Pill gives long-lasting protection against ovarian cancer
The contraceptive pill gives women substantial and long-lasting protection against ovarian cancer, according to a new report by Cancer Research UK scientists in The Lancet.

New tetanus vaccine for children
This year, children aged 6 - 12 will receive a new vaccine called Diftavax (Td) to replace the existing tetanus diphtheria (TD) vaccine.

Smoking and SIDS
A new study sheds light on the relationship between women who smoke while pregnant or are exposed to second-hand smoke and an increased risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) to their babies.

PIASA news: Patents aid access to medicines - InZalo Communications
By their very nature, patents are intended to make information on product formulations public rather than allowing them to be kept secret.

Burkina Faso: Some $450 million in medicines for “neglected” diseases
Pharmaceutical companies have pledged some US$450 million worth of medicines to Burkina Faso to fight “neglected” diseases that blind or otherwise debilitate millions of people in the country, according to the health minister.