health

30 March 2024

Glencore Coal celebrates the success of local businesses in ESD Program

Location: MyPR

Glencore Coal proudly recognises the achievements of graduates from its Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) program, marking another milestone in its commitment to fostering local entrepreneurship and economic growth. Launched in 2021, the program has been instrumental in equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with essential skills and resources to enhance their businesses, thereby contributing significantly to local economies. …

30 March 2024

The Shocking Effects of the Viral “Mouth Taping” Trend ?

Location: MyPR

The Viral Trend of Mouth Taping and Why SleepTape.co.za is Leading the Charge In recent years, a health trend has been quietly making waves, gaining traction for its surprisingly simple yet effective approach to improving sleep quality and overall well-being: mouth taping. At the forefront of this movement is SleepTape.co.za, South Africa’s number one premium …

29 March 2024

Neurofeedback at Home: Mastering Remote Sessions for Improved Mental Health

Location: MyPR

Neurofeedback, in a nutshell, is like a personal training session for your brain. It uses real-time displays of brain activity—think of it as a video game where your brain is the controller—to teach self-regulation of brain function. This is groundbreaking because it’s all about improving mental health and cognitive performance without the side effects often …

28 March 2024

Harnessing hope: A call to tangible action on World TB Day

Location: MyPR

Dr Nkateko Msimeki, General Manager Health Policy and Medical Advisory from AfroCentric writes about the state of TB in South Africa and what we need to do to bring an end to this age-old disease. As we all mark World TB Day, it’s not only a time for reflection but also a moment to galvanise …

28 March 2024

5 Practical Tips To Turn Excuses Into Actions And Reclaim Your Fitness

Location: MyPR

As a fitness instructor, I’ve witnessed first-hand the enthusiasm that comes with setting New Year’s resolutions, especially when it comes to health and fitness. Yet, by February a lot of people’s new year’s resolutions start fading, and by the time March rolls around, many of us have fallen into old habits and our resolutions are …

28 March 2024

Call to use child car seats

Location: News

Call to use child car seats

In anticipation of the increase in traffic volumes this Easter long weekend, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has called for an investment in child car seats and restraints to ensure the safety of children in vehicles.

“The RTMC calls for greater cooperation from motorists to reduce the number of children who are injured or killed on the roads,” RTMC Spokesperson Simon Zwane said on Wednesday.

South African regulations state that (a) all adults must use seat belts if available; (b) the driver must ensure a child aged between three to 14 uses a child restraint, if available, or seat belt if available; and (c) infants under three must be strapped into a car seat where possible. Drivers may be held accountable for failure to comply.

“We know that seatbelts save children’s lives, because every day we see children who are severely disabled or who die due to road accidents because they were not wearing a seatbelt.

“Children who are not properly restrained in a car are catapulted out of the car on impact, and the consequences can be devastating; nothing but a seatbelt/car seat can prevent that. Making sure a child is properly restrained is the easiest thing parents can do to ensure their child’s safety,” Associate Professor Ursula Rolhwink of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Neuroscience Institute and spokesperson for the African Brain Child Initiative said.

Executive Director and Spokesperson for ChildSafe South Africa Zaitoon Rabaney said the number of lives lost on the roads, particularly among children, is unacceptable and preventable.

“This Easter, we urge drivers to reflect on their road behaviour and commit to making the necessary changes. By simply buckling up, respecting speed limits, and ensuring our children are safely secured in appropriate car seats, we can dramatically reduce the risk of fatalities and severe injuries,” Rabaney said.

The World Health Organisation Road Traffic Injury fact sheet 2022 shows the use of a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by 40 - 50% for drivers and front-seat occupants and by up to 25% for rear-seat occupants.

According to the African Brain Child's report, 96 out of every 100 children who are admitted to ICU because they were involved in a motor crash have a moderate or severe injury to the head because they were not wearing a seat belt. – SAnews.gov.za

nosihle
Thu, 03/28/2024 - 08:37

481 views

28 March 2024

Motorists urged to prioritise safety ahead of Easter weekend

Location: News

Motorists urged to prioritise safety ahead of Easter weekend

As thousands of South Africans are set to hit the country’s freeways for the long Easter weekend on Thursday, Newcastle Local Municipality Mayor Xolani Dube has urged all motorists to prioritise safety, adhere to traffic regulations and exercise caution while traveling.

Dube made the call at the launch of a comprehensive road safety campaign on Wednesday, ahead of the long weekend.

"By working together, we can make a significant impact in reducing road accidents and ensuring a safer community for everyone," Dube said.

The Newcastle Local Municipality, in collaboration with the provincial Health Department and various stakeholders, including Heineken Beverages, the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Authority, the South African Police Service, and the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) Amajuba Region, launched the campaign in an effort to curb road accidents during the Easter holidays.

Dube said the main aim of the campaign is to convene important stakeholders to promote safer road usage over the upcoming holidays, with the goal of lowering traffic accidents and encouraging responsible driving behaviour.

During the launch, representatives from the various stakeholders distributed essential road safety paraphernalia to drivers.

Dube said these efforts are focused on fostering a safer road environment for all road users and encouraging responsible driving habits.

Members of the police emphasised the need of vehicle inspections to guarantee the vehicle's roadworthiness and cautioned against driving while intoxicated and speeding.

The police have placed a strong emphasis on the value of vehicle inspections to guarantee roadworthiness and discouraged driving while intoxicated and at high speeds.

“The Easter holiday period often sees a surge in road accidents, and it is imperative that we take proactive measures to prevent unnecessary loss of life and property. Through collaborative efforts with our partners and stakeholders, we are committed to promoting road safety awareness and encouraging responsible driving habits," the police said.

Newcastle Municipality is a local municipality within the Amajuba District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Newcastle is the third largest city in the province. – SAnews.gov.za

The department’s Chief Inspector, Milly Ruiters, said the laboratory is part of a drive by the Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch to professionalise the work of the inspectorate and will be replicated in all provinces.

“The purpose of the laboratory is multifaceted, in that it will be used as a training facility in the field of occupational hygiene to prepare and provide technical support for OHS inspectors.

“Furthermore, this laboratory will also be used to support practical exposure for inspectors who wish to prepare themselves for professional certification in the field of occupational hygiene,” Ruiters said.

The laboratory will also be used to support exposure monitoring by inspectors in high-profile inspections and investigations.

The facility is equipped with equipment capable of monitoring several occupational stressors (factors in the workplace that cause stress to employees) including noise, hazardous chemical agents, illumination, indoor air quality, and airflow.

Ruiters said the department has 700 OHS inspectors and the bulk of them are specialising in Occupational Health and Hygiene (OHH).

“We previously had OHS inspectors focused mainly on engineering. We are branching into other areas of OHH. This is a milestone for us.

“A lot of employers are not complying with OHH. With this facility, we will empower our inspectors to go and do spot checks and they will no longer be second-guessing,” she said.

Ruiters said the department views the laboratory launch as part of its capacity building and developing a cohort of specialists.

“We want to proactively prevent injuries and diseases. We are preparing to prevent rather than investigate incidents.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), work-related stress can be caused by poor work organisation; poor work design (lack of control over work processes); poor management; unsatisfactory working conditions, and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors.

The department’s IES branch Inspector General, Aggy Moiloa, said the unveiling of the laboratory is the start of "something big" that is coming and a legacy the branch wants to leave behind.

“While this is a humble beginning, it is a giant step,” Moiloa said.

Department of Employment and Labour Senior Specialist: OHH, Bulelwa Huna, said the launch of the “small” facility has been a long journey, which started in 2018 in partnership with the department’s stakeholders.

Huna warned that occupational hazards are silent killers.

“As a department, we will not accept the proposition that injury and death go with the job. When we talk about creating decent work, we cannot leave out OHH.

“We want to support inspectors when making decisions. We want to develop technical data that supports reports. The facility will also make our inspectors comfortable using the instruments,” Huna said.

The department has spent R956 000 to set up the facility, and the OHH Directorate will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the laboratory.

The department emphasised that the lab is not replacing the work of existing authorities. The Compensation Fund, an entity of the department, is expected to be one of the beneficiaries of the work of the lab. – SAnews.gov.za

GabiK
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:37

502 views

25 March 2024

Increased deployments at the country’s borders this Easter weekend

Location: News

Increased deployments at the country's borders this Easter weekend

More Border Management Authority (BMA) resources are going to be deployed and operating times will be increased at the country’s ports of entry in anticipation of an increase in movements during the Easter long weekend.

“The BMA is compelled to properly plan and execute a deliberate plan in order to ensure smooth and secure border operations during this period,” BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato said on Monday.

Briefing the media in Pretoria, Masiapato said there was a critical need for the authority to increase its deployment of resources in anticipation of increased movements at the borders, as this presents unique challenges.

“As a reminder to all the stakeholders, the BMA is mandated to facilitate and manage the legitimate movements of persons and goods across all our 52 land ports of entry, 10 international airports and nine seaports,” he said.

The facilitation of movement at the ports of entry is done across five key functional areas of immigration, port health, environmental and agricultural biosecurity, including access control and general law enforcement at the ports of entry and border law enforcement areas.

“During these facilitations, the BMA officials have to secure the ports environment against threats of illegal migration, smuggling, as well as trafficking of persons and goods.

“With this in mind, we have formulated comprehensive strategies and an operational plan to ensure that our deployments are responsive and ensure efficient port operations, with the requisite capability to deal with any security threats and/or risks, which may arise during the upcoming Easter period,” he said.

The Easter operational plan is supported by various law enforcement structure,s such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Revenue Service (SARS), South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Cross Border Road Transport Agency and various traffic authorities.

“Since our establishment, the BMA has intensified its working relationship with the Immigration Inspectorate, which has the mandate to identify illegal migrants who are already in the country and ensure their processing for deportation to their respective countries,” Masiapato said.

He said in this Easter period, they anticipate about one million people moving through the country’s ports.

“The numbers for this year’s Easter period could escalate further as members of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), one of our biggest churches in the region, is opening for the annual Easter pilgrimage to Moria for the first time since COVID-19.”

Masiapato said the BMA has engaged their counterparts in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Botswana, and they have agreed to extending operating hours at certain critical ports, which do not usually operate on a 24-hours basis.

The chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Consultative Committee on Border Management, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has approved the request to extend operating hours for selected ports.

Statistics for the 2023 Easter period showed that ports of entry, which facilitated the majority of the people were Beitbridge to Zimbabwe, Lebombo to Mozambique, Groblers Bridge to Botswana, Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg to Lesotho, OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport, Oshoek to Eswatini, Kopfontein to Botswana and Caledonspoort to Lesotho. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:47

244 views

25 March 2024

Time to take control of your sexual health says Kena Health

Location: MyPR

Kena Health’s Clinical Care Lead, Dr Chido Siame, says that the Gauteng Department of Health’s announcement report that cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have increased significantly is concerning. “Rising STIs are a global concern, and it indicates that the health education and management systems are not working as they should, and also that we …

25 March 2024

A Comparison of Fatalities in Different Sports

Location: MyPR

Sports are a popular form of recreation and competition, providing entertainment and physical activity for millions of people around the world. While most sports are generally safe, accidents and injuries can occur, sometimes resulting in tragic outcomes. In this article, we will compare the number of people killed while participating in various sports, including Chess, …

24 March 2024

Fight against TB gets $94 million boost

Location: News

Fight against TB gets $94 million boost

South Africa’s ongoing efforts to respond to Tuberculosis (TB) have been strengthened with funding of $94 million for the next five years.

“Just over R4 billion was budgeted in the 2024/2025 [financial year], meeting the projected needs for implementing the National Strategic Plan (NSP). Seventy-one percent of the TB budget is from domestic sources, 21% from Global Fund and 8% from United States government commitments,” Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla said on Sunday in Sedibeng.

The Minister was addressing South Africa’s commemorations for World TB Day, which is being observed under the theme: “Yes! You and I Can End TB”.

“We applaud the announcement by National Department of Health and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of the award of the Accelerate Tuberculosis Elimination and Program Resilience Activity (referred to as ACCELERATE) in the amount of $94 million for the next five years.

“As government, we welcome the generous support from Global Fund and the United States government and appreciate their continued support towards HIV, TB and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) response,” Phaahla said.

In addition, the TB Programme of the National Department of Health has developed a comprehensive TB Recovery Plan dashboard, which is used by provinces and districts to monitor the progress of the TB programme.

The department has also developed an HIV and TB dashboard in the Health Information Centre.

“The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Situation Room is a state-of the-art data consolidation and visualisation hub built at the SANAC offices in Pretoria but can be accessed virtually from anywhere in the world.

“There is an enormous quantity of data that is generated in many parts and entities of South Africa. It exists in silos and that fragmentation is due to the lack of a central data repository and management point.

“This has made monitoring and evaluation of the country’s efforts against HIV, TB and STIs rather difficult. These new data visualisation dashboards have been set up precisely to address that challenge,” the Minister said.

Progress in fight against TB

Although South Africa remains among the TB high burden countries, there has been notable progress in the country’s fight against the disease.

“A steady decline has been noted in the number of people diagnosed with TB each year since 2007 where the figure was 644 000 compared to 280 000 in 2022. TB-related deaths are falling, but at a much slower rate,” the Minister said.

At last year’s commemoration South Africa launched the NSP for HIV, TB and STIs for the period 2023 to 2028 with ambitious targets for TB and the other two epidemics.

“The National Department of Health has further developed a TB Strategic Plan, which lifts our very pertinent actions that must be taken to address the TB specific challenges as we go towards the end date. This TB strategic plan is fully aligned with our NSP for HIV, TB and STIs and it will inform the content of the annual TB Recovery Plans for the period 2023 to 2027.

“The successful implementation of the NSP relies on several critical enablers such as the proper implementation of the National TB Recovery Plan, which is one of the tools we have to mitigate against the impact of COVID-19 on the national TB programme.

“We must scale up the implementation, use, and rapid uptake of new tools and innovations – these include GeneXpert; shorter and oral regimens for drug-resistant TB, as well as routine testing of TB contacts and at-risk populations,” the Minister said.

He said the collective counter-response to TB must focus on strengthening early case detection through targeted testing initiatives, particularly among vulnerable populations like men.

“There has been demonstrable will and desire by this government to use all innovations and technology to confront this challenge. As we all know, South Africa has been and remains the world leader in the introduction of new tools to test TB and to treat TB.

“The introduction of the new World Health Organization (WHO) approved Rapid Diagnostic tests for TB has been done as early as 2010. To date we are looking forward to targeted new generation sequencing.

“The introduction of new and repurposed TB drugs has helped significantly improve the proportion of cured drug resistant (DR-TB) patients. We have rolled out shorter regimens with better drugs for the treatment of drug resistant tuberculosis, with the notable launch of the bedaquiline-pretomanid-linezolid-levofloxacin (BPAL-L) programme in September 2023, that has almost 2,000 patients on a six-month DR-TB regimen,” the Minister said.

South Africa has been part of a vaccine development programme, which is conducted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

“This gives us hope that indeed, we will end TB, by working with all role players, opinion makers, scientists, academics, politicians, and general population,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

nosihle
Sun, 03/24/2024 - 15:12

18 views

23 March 2024

Rate of Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, treatment in Africa increasing

Location: News

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Download logo

About 70% of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the African region are now being diagnosed and treated, marking the highest case-detection rate in the region ever, thanks to concerted efforts by countries to address the threat of the disease.

Although the case detection rate has been on the rise since 2018, the region saw a significant increase between 2020 and 2022, rising from 60% to 70% of cases being detected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2023. There has also been a notable reduction in the region in the number of people with TB who miss diagnosis. An estimated 700 000 people missed diagnosis in 2022, a 10% reduction compared with 2021. To further rally efforts to end the disease through concerted global efforts to advance detection, diagnosis and treatment, World TB Day is being marked this year under the theme “Yes! We can end TB”.

In the African region a range of factors have helped boost TB diagnosis rates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries-maintained TB notification services, ensuring that cases were detected and treated. In Nigeria, which has a huge TB burden, case notification nearly tripled over the past five years to 285 000 cases in 2022 from 106 000 cases in 2018. Improvement in the management of HIV infection, a significant driver of TB, has also bolstered TB detection rates in the region.

“More efforts are still needed to reduce the devastating impacts of this disease on families and communities. As WHO we continue working closely with governments to address the barriers to effective response and speed up the momentum to make TB history,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

The region, which accounts of 23% of TB cases and 33% of deaths globally, is making steady progress towards ending the disease. For example, Cabo Verde, Eswatini and South Africa have achieved at least a 50% reduction in TB cases. The WHO End TB Strategy calls for countries to reduce TB deaths by 75% and cases by 50% by 2025 compared with the 2015 levels.

Across the region TB deaths fell by 38% and new cases declined by 23% in 2022 compared with 2015. High-burden TB countries have surpassed the 2025 milestone to lower TB deaths.

Despite the progress, further efforts are needed to meet the 2030 global End TB Strategy targets to cut TB deaths by 90% and cases by 80%. These include increased investments in TB control programmes. In 2022, in the African Region, the Global Plan to End TB 2018-2022 estimated that US$ 3.9 billion were required annually to achieve the targets, but only around US$ 890 million were mobilized for TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Domestic funding represented about 46% of total funding for TB (54% from international funding) in 2022.

Limited access to health services, inadequate health infrastructure, insufficient quality of care, inadequate human resources for health and inadequate social protection are also impeding progress to ending TB.

Globally TB continues to claim millions of lives annually. In the African region Africa, TB was the second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with nearly 2.5 million people falling ill and 424 000 lives lost in 2022.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

22 March 2024

“Cleaning and greening” workers dump rubbish on City Hall doorsteps in Gqeberha

Location: News

Their stipends were paid a week late by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs