| Cutting edge |  Some years ago I wrote an editorial in the journal CME calling for Mathius Rath to be expelled from the country. That was at the start of his campaign of spreading misinformation and peddling snake oil as cures for HIV among the population of several South African townships. He carried on, unabated, for years - aided and abetted by SANCO (who one hopes were doing this in ignorance and not for any kind of material gain). Now, at last, he, and our health ministry, have been brought to task by the Cape High Court. Finally, there is some action against his so-called clinical trials of supplements that at best are useless and at worst may actually be harmful to people living with HIV.
Yet again it has taken court action by organisations such as the TAC and, in this case, SAMA to bring our Minister of Health into line. In this case, the court has actually charged her and her ministry with "doing their jobs". We all know that she is manifestly failing to do this - perhaps it will take a court order to bring this home to her at last.
Our public health services are literally falling apart, peddlers of snake oil have been tacitly supported by the Minister and people are dying as a result. Would it be too much to ask that we get a Minister of Health who does all her work - not just that around HIV and AIDS care?
Bridget Farham Editor
https://www.bizcommunity.com
| | Headlines
MedicalTrapped Somali populations need immediate life-saving assistanceThe people of Somalia are currently facing a massive humanitarian crisis with unmet critical medical needs. In May alone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams working in the Mogadishu suburbs of Hawa Abdi and Afgooye treated more than 2,500 children suffering from acute malnutrition with admissions to MSF nutritional programmes doubling in April and doubling again in May. Automation of medical transcription is driving growth in speech recognition[Aphrodite Brinsmead] A new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor discusses speech recognition and its use in the medical industry for transcription and dictation. Stop medicine inflation in its tracks - Martina Nicholson AssociatesIn a tough year like 2008 is already proving to be, keeping costs down is the order of the day. We are all rightfully thinking of clever ways to manage our spending. Advertisement:
CardiologySudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of strokePreliminary research culled from a national medical insurance records database in Taiwan suggests that sudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of vulnerability to stroke, foreshadowing an actual cerebrovascular event by as much as two years, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Namibia's first open-heart surgery a success[Gabi Khumalo] A team of health professionals from South Africa and Namibia have successfully performed three open-heart surgeries in Namibia, the first time the operation has been performed in the country.
Chronic diseasesNew details on how low blood flow promotes vascular diseaseResearchers have found the first direct proof that a key protein drives the clogging of arteries in two ways, and that lowering levels of it opens them up, according to study results published in the June edition of the journal Circulation.
Corporate Social ResponsibilityFun in the sun - InZalo Communications Through their Care Programme, Merck was able to donate R20 000 to Sanca Horizon Alcohol and Drug Centre, making it possible for them to assist Ekukhanyeni Primary School. RedCube Porter Novelli takes the Centrum account - RedCube AgencyRedCube Porter Novelli is now managing all the Brand PR activity for the Centrum Guardian Project.
Food crisisLESOTHO: Food prices aggravate crisisAlready heavily dependent on food handouts, Lesotho is buckling under chronic food insecurity, poverty and one of the highest HIV rates in the world. SOUTH AFRICA: Maize - the unaffordable stapleBad for the pocket and bad for health.
HIV/AIDSHIV life expectancy approaching normalIn the West, at least, those living with HIV are starting to look forward to a long life. Married or cohabiting couples transmit HIV to each otherResearch from Zambia and Rwanda shows that heterosexual transmission of HIV takes place within stable relationships. TAC wins victory against Minister of HealthThe Cape High Court has stopped Mathius Rath from selling his supplements or from conducting unauthorised clinical trials. When is HIV/AIDS a disaster?Providing HIV/AIDS services to people on the run from armed conflict or natural disaster seems, on the face of it, too complicated when trying to meet the pressing immediate demands of an emergency. A risk factor for Alzheimer's disease hastens death among those with HIVA study out this week suggests that apoE4 hastens the death of people infected with HIV, possibly by allowing the virus easy entry into cells. Heart disease a major killer in the HIV positiveHeart disease is a major killer in HIV positive people, but often goes unrecognised by doctors.
Infectious diseasesKenya: Cholera confirmed in western regionAn outbreak of cholera has been confirmed in the Kisumu municipality in the western region, a senior health official has said. UGANDA: Hepatitis E outbreak on the rise in KitgumUganda's Ministry of Health has sent a team of experts to the northern district of Kitgum to investigate an outbreak of Hepatatis E (HEV) in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) which has killed 64 people over the past eight months. DRC: New polio threat prompts mass vaccination campaignSeven million children in nine of the 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are being vaccinated against polio, a disease thought to have been eradicated in the vast country.
Medical AidMedical schemes council signs blank cheque for doctors - Finance MediaSAMWUMED, the worker-based medical scheme for municipal staff, has expressed dismay at a recent Council for Medical Schemes Appeal Committee ruling that seemingly endorses profit mongering by health service providers.
Medical ResearchCell phones are not bad for your healthA decade long German study has concluded that there is no health risk associated with cell phones. Scientists discover how an injured embryo can regenerate itself More than 80 years have passed since the German scientist Hans Spemann conducted his famous experiment that laid the foundations for the field of embryonic development. After dividing a salamander embryo in half, Spemann noticed that one half - specifically, the half that gives rise to the salamander's 'belly' (ventral) starts to wither away. Study: RFID tags may scramble hospital equipmentA study cautions that radio frequency chips can interfere with hospital equipment. While researchers identified 22 "hazardous" cases of interference, the head of an RFID industry group says the likelihood of injury is low and the study demonstrates a need for industry standards. Salmonella: Trickier than we imagined Salmonella is serving up a surprise not only for tomato lovers around the country but also for scientists who study the rod-shaped bacterium that causes misery for millions of people. Now white wine can be good for you tooScientists have discovered a method of making white wine as healthy as red.
NutritionSomalia: Malnutrition increases drastically as assistance dwindlesThe humanitarian situation in Somalia, especially in the Mogadishu area, is a large-scale medical and nutritional emergency deteriorating fast. MSF has worked in Somalia since 1991 and has been running an emergency medical programme in Hawa Abdi, along the road between Mogadishu and Afgooye, since April 2007. Ethiopia: Rising food prices hit HIV-positive peopleWhenever Bellatu Bakane goes to her local market in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, she can't help but feel frustrated. Big breakfast the way to lose weightNew research claims that breakfast could be the most important meal of the day when it comes to losing weight. Newly launched clinical trials - NatrodaleNatrodale vitamin and mineral supplements are proud to introduce the latest addition to their website in the interest of health practitioners.
OncologyResearchers find seven biomarkers that may help pinpoint prostate cancer recurrenceA simple blood test may help doctors better predict whether prostate cancer will recur or spread in patients who have undergone surgery for the disease, UT Southwestern Medical Centre researchers have found.
Pharmaceutical companiesAspen win tender for antiretrovirals for Department of Health - Shauneen BeukesAntiretroviral tender results Pfizer completes acquisition of Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc - Magna CartaPfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of all remaining outstanding shares of common stock of Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ENCY) through a merger of Pfizer's wholly-owned subsidiary, Explorer Acquisition Corp., with and into Encysive. Encysive is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer.
Public healthKiller kickbacks - corruption in water sector affects millions Corruption is one of the main causes of a global crisis that deprives more than a billion people of access to safe drinking water and more than 2.6 billion of access to sanitation systems, according to a new report by Transparency International. SIERRA LEONE: Sex crimes continue in peacetimeEight years after a civil war in Sierra Leone that became notorious for the extent of rape and violence committed against civilians, social workers fear that rape is more of a problem in post-conflict, democratic society than it was during the war.
Women's healthWest Africans fight female genital mutilation in France West African immigrant activists have taken their fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) to France where as many as 50,000 immigrant women a year undergo the procedure, according to the French Institute of Demographic Studies. |
| | Events to diarise | 12th RuDASA National Conference 2008 - Beaufort West, 18 September
The Organizing Committee and Scientific Committee are inviting rural health practitioners to participate in this year's 12th Rural Health Conference, in the middle of the Karoo, in the historic town of Beaufort West. | | |
| | Upcoming events | TB Conference - Durban, 1 July COMET 2008 - Cape Town, 2 July | More... Submit an event | | |
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| Client Liaison/Marketer - Johannesburg
Successful optometry business requires motivated go-getters to market our services to corporate and industrial clients. Own transport essential. Basic plus commission. read more
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| | Noticeboards | | Pixels for charity
[Other]  Internet Solutions, who have always prided themselves on being at the cutting edge of technology, have come up with an innovative and creative way to raise a whole whack of money for charity.
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| | News for medical professionals | | Bare metal versus drug-eluting stents
| Association between human herpes 8 infection and ketotic type 2 diabetes
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