| Cutting edge |  There are two items in today's newsletter that particular caught my eye. The first is a call for an end to selling organs for transplant and to the transplant tourism industry that has built up around this practice. The film Dirty, pretty things was a hard look at the practice of enticing poor people into 'selling' an organ in exchange for something - in this case documents to get them into the UK. This iniquitous practice is common - and is supported by those with money, who shamelessly pay for an organ, probably knowing full well that someone has suffered in donating it. Yes, it is difficult to know that you are dying for want of a transplanted organ - but surely you would like to sleep comfortably at night with your new found health.
The other item is on the problems of buying drugs online. This is an ongoing issue, which has taxed the minds of health professionals around the world. It is illegal in most countries - our own included - and is frankly dangerous because people are able to get hold of scheduled medication without a prescription and so no medical monitoring of their use of what can be dangerous drugs. And on top of all that, most of these drugs are fake - so will not even do what they are supposed to - which could be life threatening in some instances.
What is particularly unpleasant about both transplant tourism and selling fake drugs online is that there must be qualified professionals involved. These people certainly do not deserve to sleep at night.
Bridget Farham Editor
https://www.bizcommunity.com
| | Headlines
MedicalExperts speak out against organ organ trafficking and transplant tourismThe legacy of transplantation is threatened by organ trafficking and transplant tourism. WHO launches guide to safer surgeryA simple checklist could save millions of lives worldwide. Online drugs often fakeMore than 60% of drugs sold online are fake or substandard. Aspen pays R2,7bn for offpatent Glaxo drugs[Tamar Kahn, Science and Health Editor] The deal would give Aspen a springboard to launch its products into the more than 200 markets where Glaxo already sold these drugs. Obesity problem causes Chile's food industry to actChilealimentos, the association for the Chilean food industry, has announced a new voluntary labelling system that will replicate the Guide of Daily Amounts (GDA) system used in the EU. Where there's smoke, there's fire: environmental risks cause 90% of cancers - CANSARecent research shows that up to 90% of cancers are caused by environmental factors, according to the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), which will focus on environmental awareness during July. X/procure® secures contract with The German Hearing Institute - Owlhurst CommunicationsX/procure®, the advertising and procurement system directly targeting South Africa's pharmacists, has secured a one year Supplier Plus contract and a three month advertising banner campaign for The German Hearing Institute and its product Audiclean. Advertisement:
CardiologyCan you avoid heart disease by staying cheerful?A recent study looks at whether mood has any effect on the risk of heart disease.
Corporate Social ResponsibilityLilly show their "hands and hearts" around South Africa - The Write AgencyGlobal “Hands and Hearts” Day of Service sese pharmaceutical company Lilly involved in various initiatives globally. Centrum gives back to the community - RedCube AgencyThe bold acts of the men and women of the Emergency Services often go beyond our sight and are known only to the lives of the victims they save daily. Collaboration between Novartis Institute and TB Global Alliance - Simeka TWS CommunicationsNovartis Institute for Tropical Diseases and Global Alliance for TB Drug Development announce five-year collaboration targeted to accelerate TB treatment research and development.
Exercise scienceStrong coffee aids post-exercise recoveryIf you want to recover fast after that run, eat carbs washed down with several cups of strong coffee.
Food crisisFood crisis, climate change, MDGs top G8 agendaThe global food crisis and climate change will be among the top issues on the agenda of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as he attends the Group of Eight (G8) Summit in Japan this week. BURUNDI: Fatal chicken disease a blow to food securityAn untreatable chicken disease has threatened Burundi's food security.
HIV/AIDSSA's Three-Letter PlagueEveryone knows the story of how HIV/AIDS treatment finally became available to ordinary South Africans. It is a tale of science and reason pitted against denial and superstition, of a long struggle in which AIDS activists eventually prevailed over politicians.
Hospital GroupsInvestment in corporate wellness is vital - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SAOne in four of your female colleagues or one in three of your male colleagues could die as a result of South Africa's primary killer - heart disease.
Infectious diseasesDRC: Monkey pox kills 22 in Equateur provinceAn outbreak of monkey pox in Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Equateur province has killed 22 of the 470 people infected since the start of 2008, according to medical officials.
Medical ResearchDentists warn against brushing teeth after every mealDentists in Britain say children should not brush their teeth after every meal, they say it may be doing their teeth more harm than good.
Medical TechnologySiemens Next Generation technology could bring new hope to cancer patients - FCB RedlineThe Artiste Solution from Siemens has recently undergone clinical trials in three of the most prominent cancer centres around the world.
NutritionPlumpy'Nut arrives in Ethiopia for emergency reliefA massive airlift of the ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) Plumpy'Nut arrived in Addis Ababa last night as part of UNICEF's emergency response to meet the urgent needs of severely malnourished children in drought-affected areas of Ethiopia. Brain food - what we eat affects our intelligenceNew research findings published online in The FASEB Journal provide more evidence that if we get smart about what we eat, our intelligence can improve.
Obstetrics and GynaecologyOlder men cause problem pregnanciesFertility rates fall and miscarriage increases when the father is over 35.
OncologySpread the word: there IS another, scalpel-free treatment option for prostate cancerWhen David Malyon was diagnosed with prostate cancer his doctor offered him the usual treatment options. These included External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBMRT), Brachytherapy (where radioactive seeds are placed in the prostate) and a Prostatectomy (removal of the entire prostate). He did not fancy any of these options. Avoid cancer by eating a Mediterranean dietThe Mediterranean diet is back in the news again - and for all the right reasons.
OpthalmologyEye opening results from UV researchThe eyes are just as vulnerable if not more vulnerable to UV rays as the skin, yet 85% of South African's don't think that damage to the eyes is one of the most harmful effects of extended exposure to the sun. This and other startling results were revealed in the recent Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund survey, conducted by world-renowned research company Ipsos.
PaediatricsFatty liver and the risk of heart disease in overweight childrenAn unusual fatty liver disease may be the precursor to heart disease in overweight and obese children. Cough, cold medicines for infants under investigationThe Medicines Control Council of South Africa (MCC) has requested all manufacturers of cough and cold medicines to provide information regarding the effects of the ingredients on infants.
Public healthLESOTHO: Children dial 800 22 345 for helpIn the two months since the government of Lesotho launched the county's first national child helpline, almost 500 orphans and vulnerable children have picked up the phone to demand assistance and an ear. Safe drinking water and better sanitation the key to lowering disease burdenAccess to safe drinking water and better sanitation could lower disease burden by 9%, according to a WHO report. Smoking bans reduce heart attack admissionsOn the anniversary of Britain's smoking ban, admissions to hospital for heart attack is down.
TuberculosisSA's TB treatment programs failingTB cure rates in South Africa have remained stubbornly low - about 60 percent nationally, but less than 50 percent in many districts. A number of studies presented at the national TB conference in Durban this week looked at some of the reasons why South Africa's programme is failing. New target for the potential treatment of tuberculosisScientists have uncovered a new target for the potential treatment of tuberculosis (TB), finally resolving a long-running debate about how the bacterial cell wall is built. New rapid tests for drug-resistant TB in developing countriesThe WHO has announced that rapid tests for drug-resistant TB will soon be available in resource-poor countries. | | |
| | News for medical professionals | | A population study of endomyocardial fibrosis in a rural area of Mozambique
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