Headlines
MedicalKhartoum heart hospital a beacon of hope in AfricaA specialist cardiac hospital on the outskirts of Khartoum in Sudan has become a beacon of excellence for Africa, with outcomes that at least match and sometimes better similar centres in Europe and the United Sates. Feel the heat, see the heat 3D visualisation captures burn of hot pepper to show link of stimuli and nerve cell so you can now not only feel the spicy kick of a jalapeno pepper, you can also see it in full 3D, thanks to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. ACSA Disability 2008 - CVL ConsultingACSA Disability 2008 - incorporating Specialised Healthcare for the Disabled Industry - is a unifying step that will strengthen the voice of people with disabilities (PWDs) in South Africa, according to Bette McNaughton, spokesperson and event director for the show. Conference to share gobal inovations with South African Hospital mnagement - 365 Projects & ConsultantsThe Operational Hospital Management Conference, the healthcare sector's premier hospital management conference, is set to take place from 9 - 11 September 2008 at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg. Brasil Tech 2008 to showcase Brazilian medical products sector - ITP CommunicationsThe Medical-Dental Products industry is one of four key trade sectors that will come under the spotlight at Brasil Tech 2008, to be held on 27 and 28 May at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Powerade Lost City Cycle Classic in aid of CANSA - CANSAThis year's road race will be held on Saturday 23 August 2008 at Sun City. As always, entry to Sun City is free for all participants, family members and spectators provided you are through the gates by 06:30. Entries will be limited to 4500 again. Medical products technology a key focus at Brasil Tech 2008 - ITP CommunicationsThe Medical-Dental Products industry is one of four key trade sectors that will be promoted at Brasil Tech 2008, at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, on 27 and 28 May. Advertisement:
Chronic diseasesLifestyle intervention can delay onset of type 2 diabetesSix years of changed lifestyle can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. New hope for haemophiliacsChemically modified protein may help people with hard-to-treat haemophilia. The growing global burden of diabetes - SimonSaysAccording to the Medical Research Council (MRC) diabetes was responsible for the deaths of 22 412 South Africans in 2000 which makes it the seventh-leading cause of death in this country.
Corporate Social ResponsibilitySAMA speaks out on xenophobiaThe South African Medical Association is horrified by the spread of attacks aimed at foreign nationals in South Africa, and condemns it in the strongest possible terms. Joining forces to promote digestive healthWGO Foundation and Danone partner up for World Digestive Health Day 2008. Pioneering eye surgery network receives 2008 Gates Award for Global Health - Meropa CommunicationsNon-Profit Aravind Eye Care System wins $1 million prize for preventing and curing blindness in India's poorest communities. Advertising showcases South Africa's private healthcare talent - FD BeachheadAccording to Discovery Health and its advertising agency, MorrisJones & Co, advertising has a role to play in recognising private healthcare as a national asset. Rugby ball smiles for second Vodacom Smile Week - Quo Vadis CommunicationsThere were smiles the size of rugby balls warming the hearts of 38 underprivileged children when they received corrective facial surgery courtesy of the Smile Foundation and the Johannesburg Hospital during the 2nd Vodacom Smile Week from 19-23 May.
HIV/AIDSHIV reservoir identifiedResearchers have discovered a 'reservoir' that allows HIV to remain infectious despite treatment.
Hospital GroupsProtect our youth from premature death - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SAWorld No Tobacco Day, Saturday 31 May, focuses on Tobacco-Free Youth as the only effective measure to reduce the very real risk of youth becoming regular users of tobacco products in adulthood. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and child and adolescent experimentation can easily lead to a lifetime of tobacco dependence.
Infectious diseasesFirst human case of bird flu in BangladeshA case of bird flu in a young child in Bangladesh has raised concern. Fight colds and flu with dietAdvice from Australian dieticians: eat lots of fruit and vegetables. DRC: Cholera outbreak in North Kivu worsensAn outbreak of cholera in North Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has claimed more sufferers in the past two weeks, medical and humanitarian officials said. Congo: Mobile Ebola labs on the way The Republic of Congo will soon be much better placed to fight outbreaks of Ebola thanks to mobile laboratories that can detect the deadly virus in situ within two hours, according to health officials. At present, suspected cases of Ebola are sent to Gabon, South Africa and even France for analysis. Two new vaccines available for children in South AfricaTwo new vaccines for children are to be introduced by the health department, national health minister Manto Tshabalala Msimang said on Tuesday. Bird flu vaccine approved in EuropeGlaxoSmith-Kline has just become the first drug company to be given marketing approval for a pre-pandemic flu vaccine. Take a Benylin Day turns marketing of flu remedies on its head - GC CommunicationsBenylin, a trusted household name recommended by doctors and pharmacists to alleviate the symptoms of coughs, colds and flu is ditching cold misery this winter with the launch of a paradigm breaking national campaign encouraging sufferers to TAKE A BENYLIN DAY, when they feel sick.
Medical ResearchResearchers sound nanotube cancer alarmCarbon nanotubes hold promise as a structural material and as a semiconductor, but they also might present a similar danger to that posed by asbestos, which has tiny fibers that can get into lung tissues and cause cancerous lesions. Researchers are suggesting more study and caution in handling the material. Shingles - they're in the familyDermatologists link family history to shingles - they're in the family susceptibility. Bladder stem cell line identifiedResearchers at UC Davis Children's Hospital have identified the potential stem cells that become the bladder.
Medical TechnologyPicture-perfect scanner opens up new possibilities for patients Dolphins swimming underwater, planes whizzing overhead, and monkeys climbing up palm trees are just some of the images patients are now seeing at Strong Memorial Hospital as it introduces the region's first “open” high-field magnetic resonance (MRI) scanner. Multi-purpose multispectral filter promises benefitsNew, single-exposure imaging tool puts biomedical imaging in palm of hands.
NeurologySpeech recovery after stroke variableIt appears to be difficult to predict the degree of language recovery after stroke.
NPOSoul City Institute responds to xenophobia crisis - Onyx MarketingIt is impossible for South Africa to conduct a business as usual approach in the midst of a crisis.
NutritionImprove your fibre consumption - The Write AgencyA new fibre supplement is now available in South Africa - called Benefiber, it is a taste-free, all natural powder which can be added to beverages or soft food or used in cooking and, unlike other fibre supplements, will not thicken or alter the texture of foods.
OncologyCancer vaccine could be in the pipeline Cancer researchers in the UK say they are one step closer to producing a specific targeted vaccine for killing cancer cells. Discovery provides hope for patients with pancreatic cancerThis week researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Oregon Stem Cell Centre and the OHSU Digestive Health Centre are shining a new ray of hope on patients with pancreatic cancer. They've developed new reagents, or antibodies, that can recognise this often lethal disease. This important discovery may one day lead to earlier detection and treatment. Lung cancer epidemic looming in Asia?[Deyna Chatzimichalaki] Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality throughout much of the industrialised and developing world. Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, but with smoking on the decline in most Western societies, it seems we have seen the peak of the lung cancer incidence in the West.
PaediatricsNew technology could detect autism earlyEye tracker technology detects autism at nine months of age. Do children get ME?It appears that children under the age of 12 can suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome.
Public healthUK to ban cigarette vending machinesAuthorities in Britain are getting even more serious in attempts to encourage people to quit smoking. Peer pressure effective in helping quitting smokingIf your partner stops smoking you are more likely to stop too. Global burden of disease shifts from infectious diseases to noncommunicable diseasesThe global burden of disease is shifting from infectious diseases to noncommunicable diseases, with chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke now being the chief causes of death globally, according to a new WHO report published today. A global strategy on alcohol abuseNext week, the WHO will launch the first 'global assault on the harms associated with drinking.'
Women's healthHRT safe for healthy women entering menopauseHRT in the early postmenopausal period is safe, and healthy women going through the first few years of the menopause who need HRT to relieve symptoms should have no fears about its use. | 
I spent part of this morning at the refugee centre that has been set up at Soetwater recreation area, near Kommetjie - a pretty little village - near Cape Town. The refugee centre was set up to house Somalis who live in Masiphumelele, close by, and also people from DRC, Rwanda, Mozambique, Congo and Somalia who have been driven out of their homes in other areas of the city.
