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Thursday, 1 May, 2025

FOCUS: PUBLIC HEALTH

Possible arson to be probed in Tembisa hospital fires

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
The Gauteng Government and national MPs have not ruled out arson as a possible reason for the fires at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital, which is central to several fraud and corruption investigations, and has called for the State Security Agency to investigate, notes MedicalBrief. The two separate fires have also raised concern about the hospital’s safety protocols and emergency preparedness, with MPs last week discovering – during an oversight visit – that the facility was only 79% compliant with Occupational Health and Safety prescripts. Gauteng...
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NEWS UPDATE

Radiology firm probed for alleged BEE fronting

A Cape Town radiology firm is facing allegations of “fronting” after an investigation launched by the Broad-Based BEE (B-BBEE) Commission, and the firm’s black partner accusing the company of merely using him to pretend it has black-ownership and control. Thapelo Motshudi partnered with into Bergman Ross & Partners (BRP) in 2015 to pursue an opportunity to provide radiology services at Netcare’s Pinehaven facility, the collaboration forming Motshudi Bergman Ross Radiologists – and scooping a five-year contract to provide services to Netcare. Business Day reports that Motshudi had brought the opportunity to BRP as he did not have the funding to launch the...

North West private hospital frustrated by licence renewal delay

A 295-bed private hospital in the North West, which its owners say has been patient-ready for five years, potentially providing jobs to 50 people, including 25 doctors and 10 nurses, has been unable to operate because of the delay by the provincial government in renewing its licence, writes Chris Bateman for MedicalBrief. Situated alongside poverty-stricken Stilfontein and Khuma townships some 15km from Klerksdorp, the Duff Scott Hospital, a former mine facility with scope for operating theatres, ICU wards and an ambulance on hand, would alleviate pressure on the two hugely over-subscribed public hospitals in Klerksdorp, according to its CEO and...

Hospital staff under fire for outdoor cooking during outage

KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called for disciplinary action against staff at Pietermaritzburg’s Northdale Hospital after a video of them cooking over a fire outside during a widespread power outage went viral. During the outage, although three backup generators immediately activated, one malfunctioned – affecting the kitchen. The MEC said the protocol was for staff to seek assistance from nearby hospitals, and that cooking food outside with firewood violated food safety and contingency protocols. She described it as “unacceptable and contrary to our stringent food safety and contingency protocols”. “In light of this breach, I have already asked the department to take...

WHO, Unicef target ‘devious’ baby formula marketing in SA

The WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) have launched a “Babies Before Bottom Lines” campaign aimed at the “predatory and pervasive” digital marketing practices of some baby formula companies and what they say is false and unethical baby formula advertising in South Africa. The campaign is directed against companies they accuse of using unregulated digital marketing spaces and targeted messages to manipulate vulnerable parents, reports Daily Maverick. “It’s about just how insidious this (marketing) is... that you don’t even recognise that it’s an ad,” said Dr Laurence Grummer-Strawn, who leads the WHO’s work on infant and young child feeding. “They...

Measles adds to Ugandan mpox crisis as death toll passes 5 400

The cumulative number of confirmed mpox cases in Uganda has hit 5 431, with 40 deaths reported since the outbreak was declared nine months ago, the Ministry of Health has said, adding that growing measles cases in refugee camps, meanwhile, is increasing pressure on the struggling public healthcare sector. A total of 44 new mpox infections were recorded within 24 hours last week, with increased severity among patients admitted to hospital with mpox, it noted. The report said people aged 25-29 were the most affected demographic group in the country. Last month, the World Health Organisation warned that Uganda has the highest...

Pacemaker to control BP gets FDA nod

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Breakthrough Device Designation to Orchestra BioMed for its atrioventricular interval modulation (AVIM) therapy for patients with uncontrolled hypertension. AVIM is a pacing algorithm incorporated into dual-chamber pacemakers to treat hypertension. It delivers repeating sequences of shorter and longer atrioventricular delays, lowering blood pressure while simultaneously modulating the autonomic nervous system. The Breakthrough Device Designation is for an implantable system – a pacemaker – to deliver AVIM therapy in patients with increased 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, preserved left ventricular systolic function, and uncontrolled hypertension, despite the use of anti-hypertensive medications or in patients who may...

US man pleads not guilty to shooting of Big Pharma boss

The US man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Friday where he pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges, for which he could face the death penalty. Luigi Mangione (26) is accused of stalking, murder through use of a firearm, and firearms offence charges. The Ivy League graduate is also charged with a host of murder and firearms counts in New York State court, while Pennsylvania State prosecutors are also pursuing a case against him related to alleged weapons possession and false identification. He has maintained his innocence. Mangione could...

FDA suggests swopping with beet juice, flagging ADHD risk

The US Food & Drug Administration, which has announced it will phase out petroleum-based food dyes in the coming months, says American children “have been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals” for 50 years, and suggests beet and carrot juice as substitutes for some dyes. At a press conference, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD said: “The scientific community has conducted a number of studies raising concerns about the correlation between petroleum-based synthetic dyes and several health conditions like attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, genomic disruption, and GI issues ... So why are we taking...

US detains Russian-born Harvard scientist

A ground-breaking microscope at Harvard Medical School could lead to breakthroughs in cancer detection and research into longevity. But the Russian-born scientist who developed computer scripts to read its images and unlock its full potential has been in an immigration detention centre for two months – putting crucial scientific advancements at risk. The scientist, Kseniia Petrova (30), worked at Harvard’s renowned Kirschner Lab until her arrest at a Boston airport in mid-February. She is now being held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Richwood Correctional Centre in Louisiana, and fighting possible deportation to Russia. “I would call it a grinding...

Replacement rabies jab during SA shortage

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed that a new rabies vaccine – Chirorab – is available in South Africa as a response to the shortage of the commonly used Verorab vaccine. The National Department of Health has procured the jab through Kahma Biotech from January, the NICD told TimesLIVE. It said the dosing schedule for Chirorab is the same as outlined in the national and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for rabies pre- and post-exposure vaccination. “Note that although the product volume per vial differs for Chirorab and Verorab, the total content of one vial constitutes a single intramuscular...

Europe failing in fight against HIV, TB and STIs

Regional health authorities have warned that many countries in Europe will miss a target to combat HIV, TB, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) unless there’s significant investment in public health. STIs, in particular, have shot to record levels, they noted. According to a recently released report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), these diseases cause nearly 57 000 deaths annually in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. However, many countries are way off target to meet official goals to eliminate infectious disease epidemics by 2030, and the region had not met most of these targets...

Whooping cough makes a comeback in the US

Whooping cough (pertussis) cases in the United States were nearly 16 times higher in 2024 than during the Covid-19 pandemic low in 2021, warn experts, and numbers continue to rise. Figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that cases for 2024 were five times higher than in 2023 – 35 435 cases versus just more than 7 000, reports Everyday Health. In 2021, when people were social distancing and in lockdown during the early part of the pandemic, there were barely 2 000 reported cases, but since the start of this year, the Centre for Infectious Disease...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Another patient claims Headache Clinic doctor was negligent

Former Headache Clinic specialist Dr Elliot Shevel (81), facing murder charges after a patient died after one of his treatments in 2021, has been hit with another complaint. Australian Melissa Campbell is the latest to come forward with a complaint about the Parktown, Johannesburg, clinic. Sheval is currently charged with the murder of Marinella Avvakoumides (38), who died from haemorrhaging in the brain and spine after he treated her by inserting a thick needle into her skull in July 2021. Last week, Campbell, who still has scars from her treatment – and still suffers from the same excruciating migraines for which she...

Limpopo doctor accused of attempted rape of patient

The Limpopo Health Department is investigating – in tandem with a police inquiry – after a doctor allegedly attempted to rape a patient at George Masebe Hospital at the weekend. The incident apparently happened in the early hours on Sunday in the sonar room during an abdominal ultrasound on the pregnant patient, reports TimesLIVE. Health MEC Dieketseng Mashego said the department had pledged to co-operate fully with law enforcement agencies and that in addition to supporting the SAPS inquiry, it had initiated an internal investigation.   TimesLIVE article – Doctor allegedly tried to rape a patient: Limpopo health department investigates (Restricted access)   See more from MedicalBrief...

Mandatory mediation for Gauteng medico-legal and other cases

Gauteng Judge President Dustan Mlambo has issued a directive that all civil matters with no triable issues should be referred to a mandatory mediation process, after consulting with medico-legal experts, legal bodies and legal practitioners. The Sowetan reports that the directive, effective immediately, will affect civil matters in Pretoria and Johannesburg High Court divisions where challenges have plagued the civil trial roll for years. Mlambo had circulated a draft directive for inputs and comments from medico-legal experts, legal bodies and legal practitioners – particularly those specialising in personal injury claims like the Road Accident Fund and Department of Health litigation –...

Lilly sues compounders over copies of weight-loss drugs

Four American compounders who were selling unapproved products containing tirzepatide are being sued by Eli Lilly, which is accusing them off selling the knockoffs – including versions with additives or in oral form – without clinical evidence of safety or effectiveness. Reuters reports that last month, a US judge blocked pharmacies from making copies of Lilly’s weight-loss and diabetes medicines. Until recently, compounders were permitted allowed to produce copies of obesity drugs only while the FDA classified them as being in shortage – under rules that permit such manufacturing only during supply gaps. Tirzepatide is the main ingredient in Lilly’s weight-loss and...

US pharmacy chain forks out $350m in opioid script settlement

Walgreens, the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States, has agreed to pay up to $350m in a settlement with the Department of Justice, which has accused it of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the past decade for opioids and other controlled substances. CNN reports that the nationwide drugstore chain must pay the government at least $300m and will owe another $50m if the company is sold, merged or transferred before 2032, according to the settlement reached last Friday. The government’s complaint, filed in January in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that Walgreens knowingly filled...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

CARDIOLOGY

Eat, drink and be merry to avoid heart attacks – Chinese study

In advice that may turn on its head previous conclusions about the benefits of a daily tipple, recent research – the largest of its kind – recommends that drinking...

High blood sugar tied to heart damage in youngsters – Finnish study

In the largest study of its kind, researchers from the University of Eastern Finland found that even healthy-looking adolescents and young adults – of mostly normal weight – who...

IMMUNOTHERAPY

Peanut allergy controlled in UK trial – with daily peanuts

A British man who has a severe peanut allergy now eats four nuts each morning, which has transformed his life, he said. This “life-changing” switch was a result of a...

ONCOLOGY

Immunotherapy a safe alternative to surgery for early cancers – US trial

American researchers say their recent phase 2 trial has shown that PD-1 blockade (neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1) can safely replace surgery for many early-stage tumours, offering patients a...

Gut E coli may have role in under-50s bowel cancer – global study

Researchers have suggested that childhood exposure to a toxin produced by bacteria in the bowel could be contributing to the worrying rise of colorectal cancer in under-50s around the...

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Return of endemic measles may be looming for US, study says

America is hovering on the brink of a return of endemic measles – a quarter of a century after the disease was declared eradicated in the country, researchers have...

ABOUT US

MedicalBrief is Africa’s authoritative weekly digest of medical matters, both on the continent and around the world. It brings you a succinct summary of the latest developments, both in news and research, with links to the original material. Contact us: info@medicalbrief.co.za

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