HIV virus may have become more virulent

Damage to patients' immune systems is happening sooner now than it did at the beginning of the HIV epidemic, suggesting the virus has become more virulent, according to a new study in the May 1, 2009 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online. Read more >>

Texting takes toll on thumbs

South African teenagers' mania for communicating via cellphone is taking its toll on their thumbs, according to a study in the latest issue of the SA Medical Journal. Read more >>

Human Jigsaw launches into the medical sector

Recruitment company, The Human Jigsaw, announced their launch into the medical, pharmaceutical and optometric sector mid last week. While focused in the advertising, marketing and communication sector, it offers other hands-on consultancy services to organisations. Read more >>

Adcock Ingram hosts health care summit for GPs

Adcock Ingram, recently hosted the first Adcock Ingram Healthcare Summit aimed at general practitioners. Over 300 delegates attended the summit, which took place at Emperors Palace and focused on empowering general practitioners with insights from other medical specialists and the opportunity to network with their peers. Read more >>

How sustainable is South African private health care?

[Professor Morgan Chetty] There is a widely held view that the private healthcare sector will not be sustainable beyond five years, despite its being well-resourced. There are a number of reasons for this. The cost of health care in the private sector has rocketed out of control, bringing with it numerous challenges. Read more >>

Green Earth Ball for the SA Guide Dogs Association for the Blind

The winter ball in aid of the SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind (SAGA) is an annual charity event. It takes place Saturday, 11 July 2009 at Montecasino in Johannesburg. Read more >>

Telemonitoring changes the working practice of cardiac nurses

The 9th Annual Spring Meeting of the European Society of Cardiology Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP), organised in cooperation with the Irish Nurses Cardiovascular Association (INCA), is being held at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland, on 24-25 April. Read more >>

Mobile breast health educational unit for Sedibeng

The district of Sedibeng in Gauteng will be the first to benefit from Avon Justine iThemba and the Breast Health Foundation's latest initiative: a mobile breast health educational unit. The mobile unit will be based at Sebokeng Hospital but will travel throughout the Sedibeng region to help in the early detection of breast cancer. Read more >>

FDA warns 14 pharmaceutical companies about short internet ads lacking risk information

The US government's Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has warned 14 major pharmaceutical firms about brief Internet advertisements that could have misled patients because they did not include information about health risks related to the drugs, according to letters posted to the agency's Web site Friday, the Wall Street Journal reports. Read more >>

Meningitis sees hospitals flooded with anxious patients

A spate of meningitis deaths across South Africa has led to a sharp upsurge of patients calling at doctors, hospitals and clinics demanding treatment for claimed symptoms. Read more >>

Niger-Nigeria: Meningitis spread prompts donor emergency response

The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) has approved US$6.2 million to fight meningitis in Niger and Nigeria - the two most heavily affected countries in West Africa with at least 28&ndsp;000 suspected cases so far in 2009, according to ECHO. The emergency funding was approved after ECHO's $2.5 million for infectious disease control in the region in 2009 ran out. Read more >>

When cancer cells can't let go

Like a climber scaling a rock face, a migrating cancer cell has to keep a tight grip on the surface but also let go at the right moment to move ahead. Read more >>

Deadly skin cancer now threatens women in their 20s

The deadliest form of skin cancer has now become the most common kind of cancer for women in their 20s - according to the latest figures from Cancer Research UK which launches its 2009 SunSmart campaign this week, 7 April. Read more >>

New, simple method identifies preterm infants at risk of eye disease

A simple way of establishing which preterm infants are at risk of developing the eye disease ROP is to follow their weight gain. A new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, suggests that following weekly weight development might replace the need for considerably more expensive ophthalmological examinations. Read more >>

Adcock intends to acquire Cipla

Adcock Ingram announced on Thursday, 9 April 2009, that it has made a firm intention to the board of listed generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Cipla Medpro SA, to acquire the entire issued share capital of CMSA. The consideration payable will be an aggregate amount of R2,125 billion which equates to a consideration, prior to adjustment, of approximately R4.75 per CMSA Share. Read more >>

KZN Health deploys personnel for Easter holidays

[Siboniso Ntuli] The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has deployed 132 newly qualified personnel at strategic points in the province to attend to all emergencies during the Easter holidays. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE: Government promises to rebuild health system

HARARE: The resuscitation of Zimbabwe's health care system has been identified as one of the major challenges facing the country by the country's new unity government. Stanley Kwenda interviews Henry Madzorera, Minister of Health and Child Welfare. Read more >>

Researchers examine relationship between multiple births and maternal depressive symptoms

Mothers of multiples have 43% increased odds of having moderate to severe depressive symptoms nine months after giving birth compared to mothers of single-born children, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read more >>

Pledge to fight drug-resistant TB

Gathering in Beijing, health ministers from 27 countries agreed a series of measures to combat the global epidemic of drug resistant tuberculosis. The three-day-conference was organised by the UN World Health Organisation, China's Ministry of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Read more >>

Chad: Fighting violence against women - but how?

Awa was killed by her husband last November in Guelendeng, 150km south of the Chad capital N'djamena. Her death was the tipping point for the town's women, who, appalled by the rampant violence they face, have decided to fight for their rights. Read more >>