Tuesday, 19 March, 2024
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News Update

UK review calls for action on ‘biased’ medical devices

British experts have joined what’s growing into a global call for action on medical devices that are prone to unfair biases, including blood oxygen...

Large study shows ALS drug failures

The maker of a much-debated drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease said last week that its therapy had failed to help patients in a large...

Global quest to pinpoint cause of early-onset cancers

Something in the environment or our lifestyles seems to be causing a rise in early-onset cancers, which is concerning scientists worldwide. Now, a study...

World anti-doping body suspends Africa’s only testing lab

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) formally suspended the accreditation of the SA Doping Control Laboratory in Bloemfontein – the only such facility in Africa...

Global child mortality drops, but preventable deaths still high

Although the number of children globally who died before their fifth birthday dropped to a record low of 4.9m in 2022, that still represents...

Pietermaritzburg pharmacist murdered

A well-known Pietermaritzburg pharmacist was found murdered next to his bullet-riddled car last Thursday night, police said. The 72-year-old from DuziMed Medicine Depot had multiple...

Alabama passes IVF immunity Bill

An Alabama, US, governor signed a Bill last week that will protect providers and patients – doing in vitro fertilisation – from legal liability...

Rise in psittacosis cases in Europe

The World Health Organisation has issued an outbreak notice after reports from five European countries of an unexpected rise in infections involving psittacosis, a...

Anti-vaxxers failed in bid to stop Covid vaccinations

An application by three non-profit companies to halt the government’s distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine was slammed as “manifestly unfair”, fatally defective, and dismissed...

New Omicron sub-variant detected in SA

The SA National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has detected a strain of SARS-CoV-2 with more than 30 changes in its spike protein compared...

UK reviews asthma drug after traumatic side effects in children

Activists are demanding stricter controls and more prominent warnings on the commonly prescribed asthma and allergy drug montelukast, which has seen children as young...

RSV jab may boost Guillain-Barré risk, US experts warn

American health authorities have warned that vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) might have caused a few cases of the rare neurological condition Guillain-Barré...

‘Deepfake’ scammers use doctors' details to con people

A leading South African medical professional’s face and voice were faked to sell male potency products, and to steal money from those deceived by...

SA's maternal mortality rate declines, health barometer shows

The Western Cape is the only province that meets the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to below 70 maternal deaths...

Doctor gets bail after medicines and equipment found in car

A 31-year-old doctor was released on R5 000 bail on Monday in connection with the alleged theft of medication and medical equipment found in...

Abuse, humiliation rife in state health facilities – Ritshidze report

A lack of privacy, scarcity of lubricants and key population groups allegedly being denied antiretrovirals (ARVs) are some of the issues highlighted in the...

France first to make abortion a constitutional right

In a groundbreaking decision, France has enshrined the right to abortion in its Constitution, a world first welcomed by women’s rights groups as historic...

FDA allows ‘yoghurt can lower diabetes risk’ claim

Yoghurt makers are now permitted to claim that their products can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, says the US Food and Drug...

Alzheimer’s drug beset by various challenges

Neurologists are voicing “frustration” at core elements of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi, produced by Eisai and Biogen and which was supposed to be the...

Scientists' research could spark next pandemic, new report warns

Scientists are urging better regulation of experiments that could spark pandemics, arguing that a “research-related incident” may have caused the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr Filippa Lentzos,...

KZN pink eye cases surge

The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department has warned of an outbreak of conjunctivitis,  particularly in eThekwini, with more than 1 000 cases reported between 29 February...

Labels from dumped medical waste ‘deliberately removed’

Labels and other identifiers, like batch numbers, had been “deliberately removed” from the mounds of medical waste recently found dumped along the Eastern Cape’s...

SA company gears up to produce vaginal ring

That a Johannesburg company – Kiara Health – will start manufacturing affordable and flexible silicone rings to protect women from HIV is a crucial...

Bodycams for NHS nurses after surge in patient abuse

A London NHS trust is giving its nurses body-worn cameras and asking the public to be kinder to its healthcare staff, after violence and...

SA doctors earn 40 times more than African counterparts

Doctors working in South Africa’s state clinics and hospitals are heavily underpaid, according to the South African Medical Association (SAMA) – yet they earn...

Murdered Dobsonville GP had been attacked before

A well-known Dobsonville doctor, who was fatally shot in a robbery at his practice in Soweto last weekend, had continued to serve his community...

Asthma drug sanctioned for serious food allergies

Food allergies for products like milk, eggs, walnuts and peanuts could be more easily tolerated with a drug newly approved by the US Food...

Theatre lists cut as Western Cape hospital battle slashed budgets

The impact of national budget cuts on services has been flagged by the Western Cape’s tertiary hospitals, which have highlighted the restriction on filling...

Health budget brings NHI a step closer

In his budget speech last week, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said R848bn has been set aside for the public health system over the medium...

Jobless healthcare workers march to Union Buildings

Hundreds of fed-up, unemployed healthcare workers marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Monday, demanding jobs, no national budget cuts in the Health...

Health Department considers six-month ARV supplies to meet targets

South Africa is behind target on efforts to ensure 95% of people with HIV are on sustained treatment, and in an attempt to remedy...

SA urges Pepfar to buy more African HIV/Aids drugs

South African pharmaceutical companies have urged the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) to shift 2m patients to made-in-Africa HIV/Aids medicines by...

Gauteng Health forensic backlog dates back to 2007

Gauteng has a backlog of 14 317 toxicology cases and 7 245 histopathology cases, dating back to 2007, the Forensic Medical Services (FMS) indaba...

FDA approves first cell therapy for metastatic melanoma

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lifileucel (Amtagvi, Iovance Biotherapeutics) for the treatment of certain adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, marking the first approval...

Safety update on medicines containing pseudoephedrine

Britain’s MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) has reviewed the latest evidence relating to the very rare risk of side effects associated with...

Gauteng hospital phone lines cut over payment dispute

Telephone lines at some Gauteng hospitals have been down for several weeks, allegedly because the provincial Health Department had not paid its bills, and...

Curbing antibiotic use reduces AMR – report

A decline in antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been observed in European countries that have curbed the use of antibiotics in both animals and humans, according...

Bogus doctor arrested for attempted bribe at Bara

A woman was due to appear in court this week after posing as a doctor and attempting to solicit a bribe from a patient...

Free State Health suspends four linked to ghost worker scam

The Hawks have launched an investigation after the Free State Department of Health’s suspension this month of four officials linked to “ghost worker” allegations. Department...

Zimbabwe proposes new medical research Bill

Zimbabwe has begun drafting new medical research legislation to initiate a national health research fund, among other priorities, in a reform process researchers hope...