FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Ice Maidens show women can be as physically resilient as men
December 5th, 2018 Women who underwent extreme physical training and completed a trans-Antarctic expedition did not show any more negative health effects than would be expected in men, according to a study. Lead author Dr Robert Gifford said, "Our findings contain...
Exit of more than 8,000 Cuban doctors puts Brazil in a 'state of panic'
December 5th, 2018 A rupture between Havana and Brazil's new far-right president-elect has triggered the immediate withdrawal of all the more than 8,000 doctors that were part of Cuba's international 'white-coat' medical diplomacy, reports The Daily Telegraph. The...
When common sense and sound judgment go up in smoke
December 5th, 2018 Government’s proposed anti-tobacco bill lacks any scientific assessment as an underlying principle of legislation, argues Tim Cohen, senior editor of Business Day. In a news story, Nick Hedley says tobacco company Philip Morris International sees...WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Health Market Inquiry final report delayed yet again
The Competition Commission’s long-running health market inquiry has delayed publishing its final report until 29 March, 2019, saying it needs more... December 5th, 2018HPCSA says unions and employees consulted about restructuring
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) says that employees and unions have been consulted about the restructuring and they were... December 5th, 2018Eastern Cap cardiac catheterisation lab 'broken beyond repair’ — DA
Hundreds of people in need of critical, life-saving treatment are desperate, as the only functional cardiac catheterisation laboratory in the Eastern... December 5th, 2018Tshwane paramedics robbed at gunpoint
Three Tshwane Emergency Services paramedics were robbed at gunpoint while attending to a patient in the back of a City ambulance in Soshanguve (Block... December 5th, 2018Spate of violent crime sees security beefed up at Gauteng Hospital
Security at Leratong Hospital in Mogale City, Johannesburg, will be beefed up following a spate of violent crime. The Times reports that in the... December 5th, 2018UCT's Xhosa and Afrikaans language immersion programmes boost patient/doctor relationships
When Dr Morné Kahts walks into the surgical ward at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, the eyes of patient Lucky Felisono light up. “Heita... December 5th, 2018Netcare recruiting patients for a collaborative five-year breast cancer trial
“New medicines, a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment as well as diagnostic and therapeutic technologies introduced over the last two decades,... December 5th, 2018Janssen to conduct southern African HIV vaccine trial
A new HIV vaccine trial, also known as “Imbokodo” (HVTN 705/HPX2008), which will be conducted on 2,600 women in southern Africa, will evaluate... December 5th, 2018Solidarity dissatisfied with 'irresponsible' way NHI Bill is being dealt with
Solidarity’s Occupational Guild for Health Practitioners has expressed their dissatisfaction with the 'irresponsible' way the National Health... December 5th, 2018Striking workers add to Eastern Cape hospital's staffing woes
The Burgersdorp Hospital in the Eastern Cape is in crisis, with hospital staff on strike over critical staff shortages that have been ignored by the... December 5th, 2018Aspen launches once-a-day HIV drug in SA
South African drug-maker Aspen Pharmacare has launched a triple-combination tablet for the treatment of HIV in the country where the virus is most... December 5th, 2018Chinese declare that gene-editing scientist is breaking the law
Chinese authorities have declared the work of He Jiankui, a scientist who claims to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies, a violation... December 5th, 2018Sacking of Italian health policy board raises alarm
The Italian health minister’s decision to sack the entire board of the country’s most important committee of technical-scientific experts, who... December 5th, 2018ASSAf launches study on human genetics and genomics
South Africa needs to develop policies, regulations and guidelines to address the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genetic and... December 5th, 2018Drug-related mental health problems in older people soar in UK
Growing numbers of middle-aged and older people are ending up in hospital suffering serious mental health problems after taking drugs, The Guardian... December 5th, 2018Hotline for families affected by KZN mortuary strike
Grieving families can call a hotline to determine the progress of autopsies on the bodies of loved ones while a go-slow continues at a state mortuary... December 5th, 2018WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Durban inches towards compromise on clean needle programme
Injecting drug users in Durban could be getting clean needles again by December as the City of eThekwini and non-profit TB/HIV Care inch towards a... December 5th, 2018CPD-ACCREDITED HIV COURSE
Free CPD-accredited online HIV Course
The BetterCare Adult HIV book most recently updated in 2018, is a comprehensive introduction to the management of adults living with HIV. Developed and maintained by doctors and nurses with extensive experience in the care of adults living with HIV,...
November 7th, 2018
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Extreme heat exacerbating global health risks — UN scientific report
Crop yields are declining. Tropical diseases like dengue fever are showing up in unfamiliar places, including in the US. Tens of millions of people are exposed to extreme heat. The New York Times reports that these are the stark findings of a...
December 5th, 2018
GENETICS
Genetic variants that increase ADHD risk discovered
A major international collaboration headed by researchers from the Danish iPSYCH project, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium has for the... December 5th, 2018HIV/AIDS
Uninfected babies born to HIV-infected mums face higher risks
HIV-uninfected children born to mothers with HIV are prone to more severe infections, almost double the risk of dying before their first birthday, and are more likely to be born prematurely than children born to mothers without HIV, found a Botswana...
December 5th, 2018
Food insecurity and ART adherence among older people living with HIV
Older people in Langa and Khayelitshsa, Cape Town, living with HIV are the focus of a study that explores how food insecurity affects their adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and their access to health care. Funded by the DST-NRF Centre... December 5th, 2018MEDICAL PRACTICE
Medical providers most likely to be the culprits in health data breaches
Personal identity may fall at the mercy of sophisticated hackers on many websites, but when it comes to health data breaches, hospitals, doctors’ offices and even insurance companies are oftentimes the culprits, a US study found. Research from... December 5th, 2018Why patients lie to their doctors
A study has found that 60% to 80% of people surveyed have not been forthcoming with their doctors about information that could be relevant to their health. Besides fibbing about diet and exercise, more than a third of respondents didn't speak up...
December 5th, 2018
SLEEP MEDICINE
Sleep disturbances increase risk of falls in the elderly
Disturbances during sleep decreases capability to control posture and balance according to researchers from the department of engineering and Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick. This is the first study demonstrating the... December 5th, 2018