Call for more doctors to help defeat meningitis and promote vaccination #DefeatMeningitis
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, and can lead to serious manifestations, including meningitis and septic shock, if left untreated. It is for this reason that the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations advocates greater communication around signs and symptoms of meningitis, the importance of urgent treatment, and the fact that prevention is available through vaccination.
Bactroban is back
Bactroban cream is back! Bactroban Cream is indicated for the topical treatment of primary and secondary bacterial skin infections.
Infiniti ultrasound scan machines to boost Unjani Clinics
The impact of the Unjani Clinics model is reshaping primary healthcare and with private sector support, Unjani is making early detection technology accessible to expecting moms throughout its national network of health clinics.
Professional Medical and Dental Societies object to discriminatory and exorbitant fee increase
Professional Medical and Dental Societies object to discriminatory and exorbitant fee increase On the 12th Of March 2021, the HPCSA convened an urgent special meeting to reconsider the budget approved in December 2020 “in consideration of the effect of the pandemic on...
The implications of prescribing and administering ivermectin
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about worldwide economic, social and medical uncertainty. For doctors, this uncertainty extends to whether new treatments will be beneficial to patients in protecting them from the coronavirus or not. They also worry about the medicolegal implications of clinical decisions they take in the face of rapidly evolving clinical knowledge and shifting regulations.
One of the drugs causing a dilemma for practitioners is ivermectin – the anti-parasitic drug that has been punted in the media for its abilities to suppress coronavirus infections and its complications.
Operations management skills needed as South Africa prepares to bare arms in the fight against COVID-19
While the Government and healthcare sector are currently focused on securing a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines, supply chain and operations managers should be planning the processes that must be put in place to ensure a successful mass vaccine rollout when the time comes for millions of South Africans to bare arms. The experience and expertise of these professionals will be crucial in the massive challenge of vaccinating 40 million South Africans by the end of 2021 in order to achieve herd immunity.
Sanofi launches innovative TB prevention treatment set to be a game changer for South Africa
Sanofi launches innovative TB prevention treatment set to be a game-changer for South Africa Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of ill health and one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide.1 TB can affect anyone, anywhere – but it is also curable and...
Private hospitals gear up as vaccination sites for healthcare workers
Thirteen private hospitals have been added to the list of vaccination sites currently vaccinating frontline and at risk healthcare workers. This release provides the list, as well as the catchment facilities they will serve, and includes details of specific arrangements to bolster risk stratification and to ensure an efficient rollout.
Effective management of water in dialysis augments better outcomes
Water is the foundation of life making it a perfect breeding ground for infection, microbial growth and antibiotic resistant pathogens. Water, also being the foundation for dialysis, plays the most important role for successful patient care. Adverse patient outcomes including outbreaks associated with water exposure in dialysis settings, have resulted from patient exposure to water via a variety of pathways, including improper formulation of dialysate with water containing high levels of chemical or biological contaminants and reprocessing of dialyzers with contaminated water. For the health and safety of patients, it is vital to ensure the water used to perform dialysis is safe and clean.
Study of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in four provinces suggest actual infections may exceed officially diagnosed infections by a factor of ten
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS), in partnership with the Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS), conducted a survey (also known as a seroprevalence study) of healthy consenting blood donors in four provinces, to determine how many donors have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which would be an indication of previous infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. Preliminary results of this study, reporting on seroprevalence in these four provinces (Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, and KwaZulu Natal) have just been released by deposit of a manuscript to the preprint archive arxiv.org.
‘Engineer knee surgeon’ pioneers technique gaining world acclaim
A pioneering approach to total knee replacements is gaining international credence some 13 years after South African orthopaedic surgeon, Professor Ponky Firer, developed his unique balanced technique for the procedure. With his understanding of biomechanics and the ‘science of knees’ informed by a background in engineering, Prof. Firer’s technique is outshining world patient satisfaction rates while restoring mobility and quality of life for patients. “The results Professor Firer is achieving for knee replacement patients in our country is well above the outcomes recorded in published literature worldwide,” says Jacques du Plessis, managing director of Netcare’s hospital division.
World Obesity Day 4 March 2021 – Tackling misconceptions around obesity and weight loss
World Obesity Day is observed globally on 4 March. Obesity is a growing health problem worldwide, with 13% of adults worldwide considered obese and obesity being the cause of premature death for 4.7 million people in 2017.
The Set Point Theory states that every person has a certain ‘set’ weight that their body accepts and is genetically disposed to, so any attempts to lose weight results in the body’s survival instincts kicking in to regain weight to stay at that ‘set’ weight.
While obesity is a growing health concern worldwide, there are still many misconceptions around what exactly obesity is and how to go about treating it.
Lockdown burnout – how to keep your fire burning
Burnout – the state of absolute exhaustion resulting from chronic stress – is considered a work-related condition but with lockdowns and remote working blurring the lines between home and office and classroom, “pandemic fatigue” or “lockdown burnout” is a reality in the “new normal” of COVID-19.
A cleaning technology breakthrough in the fight against COVID pandemic
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for effective hand sanitisers and masks have become an essential element of daily life. Many organisations started mass producing these products to meet the sudden and unexpected rise in demand. However, most of these products are manufactured utilising harmful chemicals and products. In the long run, the use of these chemically based products could potentially cause unwanted damage to health.
Immunotherapy medication offers more treatment options for more cancers
Worldwide cancer is the second leading cause of death with around one in six deaths due to cancer. In 2018, approximately 9.6 million people died due to cancer. This reinforces the need for more treatment options including treatments that can cover a range of cancer indications. Immunotherapy can work better for certain types of cancer and is often used alongside other treatments such as surgery. MSD is proud to launch an immunotherapy medication with indications expanded to cover six different indications. This can improve the treatment options for cancer patients and enhance the arsenal of cancer responses.