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FOCUS: MEDICO-LEGAL

High Court rejects Zuma's claims on disclosure of medical information

MBriefWSM - October 27, 2021 0

Former president Jacob Zuma failed in the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) in an application to remove the prosecutor leading the corruption case against him,...

Coffee consumption associated with lower liver stiffness — US national survey

MBriefWSM - October 27, 2021 0

Drinking more than three cups of caffeinated coffee a day is associated with lower liver stiffness — but not fatty liver — according to the “most rigorous yet” analysis of a nationally representative US...

Neurological complications after first dose of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines

MBriefWSM - October 27, 2021 0

Increased but low risk of Guillain–Barré syndrome and Bell’s palsy after first dose of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as of haemorrhagic stroke after first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, writes MedicalBrief. However, there...

DATA MANAGER

Janice Brisbane - October 27, 2021 0

DATA MANAGER (3-year fixed-term contract)

Gugulethu Research Offices

Desmond Tutu Health Foundation

CORONAVIRUS WATCH

FDA committee endorses Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds

On Tuesday this week, the US Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee overwhelmingly endorsed a smaller dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for...

Moderna interim results show that its low-dose vaccine works for 6-11-year-olds

A low dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine appears to be efficacious in 6- to 11-year-olds, says the manufacturer as it joins its rival Pfizer...

BREAKING NEWS

Tembisa 10: Claims of gigantic conspiracy by SA’s doctors, nurses and hospitals

Updated with latest developments, Thursday, 28/10: 11:37: A large portion of South Africa’s medical sector — doctors, nurses, hospital support staff and both private- and...

NEWS UPDATE

US emergency departments are being overwhelmed but not by Covid

Even in parts of the United States where COVID-19 isn't overwhelming the health system, patients are showing up to Emergency Rooms (ER) sicker than...

Eswatini nurses refuse to treat police following alleged shooting of 30 colleagues

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) nurses are refusing to treat police officers, whom they accuse of shooting and injuring at least 30 nurses and killing a...

Mass burial to relieve overflowing Papua New Guinean hospital morgue

Papua New Guinea authorities have approved a mass burial to ease the pressure on Port Moresby’s hospital morgue where bodies are stacked on top...

KZN Health MEC again fails to submit annual report to Scopa

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu has again failed to submit her departmentʼs 2020/21 Annual Report to Parliament’s Standing Committee of Public Accounts (Scopa). The opposition...

SAMA wants booster shots for healthcare workers and the right to choose which vaccine

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has called for immediate COVID-19 booster shots for healthcare workers and that they should also have the right...

Former Health minister says loan to wife was above board

Former Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said the Ithala Development Finance Corporation Bank loan granted to his wife Dr May Mkhize in 2006 was...

NEWS RELEASES

Profmed Stress Index details the mental state of South Africa’s professionals

The myriad challenges that COVID-19 has forced on our lives have been stressful, none more so than for many working professionals. Based on Profmed’s...

Western Cape Premier’s Office: Third wave risk of death was 26% higher for the unvaccinated

Cape Town Premier Alan Winde says the third wave of the coronavirus was associated with a 9% increased risk of death in COVID-19 cases,...

SA Psychiatry launches ‘Beyond Madness’ podcast series to demystify psychiatry and the mentally ill

A new podcast series looks at not only the practical aspects of psychiatry, but also its purpose, and shares a broader view on the...

MEDICO-LEGAL

High Court rejects Zuma's claims on disclosure of medical information

Former president Jacob Zuma failed in the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) in an application to remove the prosecutor leading the corruption case against him,...

Stringent conditions on claims from Compensation Fund for vaccine side-effects

The occupation injuries and diseases Compensation Fund has clarified its conditions for accepting side-effects from a COVID-19 vaccine as having happened on the job...

Former Gauteng Health CFO fails in bid to hold premier liable in PPE case

Former Gauteng Health Department CFO Kabelo Lehloenya has failed in her third party notice bid to have Premier David Makhura held personally liable in...

Busa seeks declaratory order on mandatory workplace vaccinations

Business Unity SA (Busa), is to seek legal certainty on companies’ right to require their staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reports Business Day. Busa's...

Attorney facing criminal charges and disbarment wins more negligence claims

While the Eastern Cape Treasury is taking extraordinary legal measures to staunch billions of rands in payments for past medico-legal claims, the crippled Health...

ACDP and lobby group plan application to block vaccination of children

A lobby group and the African Christian Democratic Party are jointly preparing an urgent court application to interdict the vaccination of children between the...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

NEUROLOGY

Women who breastfeed exhibit cognitive benefits after age 50

Women over 50-years of age who had breastfed their babies performed better on cognitive tests compared with women who had never breastfed, found a...

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Exposure to operating room inhalants increases COPD risk among nurses

Long exposure to operating room (OR) disinfectants and surgical smoke may significantly increase the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to...

ONCOLOGY

Low glycaemic diet inhibits tumour growth in animal study

Calorie restriction, but not a ketogenic diet, inhibits the growth of tumours in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer, found a study in Nature. Although...

PAEDIATRICS

Storytelling may significantly alleviate physical and psychological pain of hospitalised children

Simple story telling to hospitalised children may help significantly to alleviate their physical and psychological pain, finds a Brazilian study reported in Scientific American. “We...