HEALTH - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Sugar in baby food: why Nestlé needs to be held to account in Africa

NESTLÉ has been criticised for adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries. The Swiss food giant controls 20% of the baby food market, valued at nearly US$70 billion. Nadine Dreyer asked public health academic Susan Goldstein why extra sugar is particularly bad for babies and how multinationals targeting low-income countries with sweeter products get away with it. Why has Nestlé been criticised? Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of Nestlé baby-food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing. The laboratory found in many…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Congo Republic declares mpox epidemic

HEALTH

THE Republic of the Congo has declared an epidemic of mpox after 19 cases were confirmed across five departments, including the capital Brazzaville. No deaths have yet been recorded, Health Minister Gilbert Mokoki said in a statement on Tuesday. He called on the public to take precautions including avoiding close contact with suspected cases, avoiding contact with animals and avoiding handling game meat with bare hands. The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the virus mpox to replace the older term monkeypox, citing concerns of stigma and racism associated with the name. Mpox was first detected in humans in the…

Apr

2024

By ALESSANDRA PRIORESCHI

Read, sing, dance and funny faces: expert tips on how you can help your baby’s development through play

HEALTH

PLAY is how children learn about the world, explore their environments, and engage in physical activity. It’s also essential in nurturing children’s social, emotional and cognitive capabilities and is an important component of bonding with caregivers. Playtime for children is as important for their development as exercise is for adult health. Guidelines have been developed in South Africa, which closely follow international guidelines, for how much sleep, physical activity and sedentary time children should get each day from when they are born. Children under the age of two should spend as much tummy time – time spent on their tummies…

Apr

2024

By OPE ADETAYO

Nigeria becomes first country to roll out new meningitis vaccine, WHO says

HEALTH

NIGERIA has become the first country in the world to roll out the "revolutionary" new Men5CV vaccine against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Nigeria is one of the hotspots of the deadly disease in Africa. Last year, a 50% rise in annual cases was reported across 26 African countries regarded as meningitis hyperendemic countries, according to the WHO. “Nigeria's rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030," Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, was quoted as saying in a statement. Between last October and mid-March this year, 1,742 cases were suspected in the country,…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Diet and nutrition: how well Tanzanians eat depends largely on where they live

HEALTH

CITIES are growing faster in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere, with an annual urban population growth rate of around 4% compared to the world average of 1.5%. Across the continent, the urban share of the total population is projected to increase to 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050. Urbanisation is associated with lifestyle changes such as less physical activity and less labour-intensive work. This is often accompanied by an increased intake of high-calorie fast foods, snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. This combination has contributed to rising obesity in cities in low- and middle-income countries. At the same time, undernourishment and micronutrient…

Apr

2024

By CLEMENCE MANYUKWE

As Zimbabwe makes strides on HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ+ people left behind

HEALTH

AS a gay man in Zimbabwe, Admore braced himself for a hostile reception from medical staff when he went for an HIV test at a city-run clinic in Harare five years ago. His worries proved justified. "When I (said) I was gay ... they gave each other that look that made me feel they thought I was not normal," said Admore, who asked to use a pseudonym to protect his identity. Despite such uncomfortable dealings with health workers, Admore - who tested positive - has been able to access life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART). But his experience helps explain why LGBTQ+…

Mar

2024

By THOKOZANI SIMELANE

Almost 50% of adult South Africans are overweight or obese. Poverty and poor nutrition are largely to blame

HEALTH

MALNUTRITION, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight and obesity. South Africa has undergone a nutritional transition over the past 30 years characterised by the triple burden of malnutrition: households are simultaneously experiencing undernutrition, hidden hunger, and overweight or obesity due to nutrient-poor diets. Results of the first in-depth, nationwide study into food and nutrition since 1994, the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey, found almost half the adult population of South Africa were overweight or obese. While there was sufficient food to feed everyone through domestic production and imports, many families and…

Mar

2024

By KARINE SCHEUERMAIER, ALISON BENTLEY, DALE RAE, FRANCESCO XAVIER GOMEZ-OLIVE CASAS, GOSIA LIPINSKA, JONATHAN DAVY, JOSHUA DAVIMES, NOMATHEMBA CHANDIWANA and OLUWATOSIN OLORUNMOTENI

Why do we usually sleep at night? What happens when we don’t sleep? Expert insights into this essential part of our lives

HEALTH

SLEEP is as essential to our health as food and water. It is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells communicate with each other. We sleep for a third of our lives and there are many restorative processes going on during sleep that are needed to stay healthy. Why do we usually sleep at night? What happens when we don’t sleep? On World Sleep Day, Nadine Dreyer asks a group of experts to tell us more about this essential part of our lives. Why do we need sleep and why do we sleep better at night?…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

South Africa has more than 4 million people living with diabetes – many aren’t getting proper treatment

HEALTH

DIABETS is a chronic condition that affects how the body turns food into energy. In South Africa, there has been a notable rise in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in recent years, due to changing diets. People are consuming more processed foods, sugary drinks and high-calorie meals. Other factors are the lack of physical activity and high levels of obesity. PATRICK NGASSA PIOTIE, Project Manager, University of Pretoria Diabetes Research Centre, University of Pretoria Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, making up 90% of cases. With this type, the body produces insulin but can’t use it effectively.…

Mar

2024

By SUSAN GOLDSTEIN, MARK TOMLINSON, RACHEL WYNBERG and TANYA DOHERTY

Big companies, like Nestlé, are funding health research in South Africa – why this is wrong

HEALTH

IN 2021, the director of the African Research University Alliance Centre of Excellence in Food Security at the University of Pretoria was appointed to the board of the transnational food corporation Nestlé. At the time a group of more than 200 senior academics wrote an open letter, about conflicts of interest. Nestlé’s portfolio of foods, by its own admission, includes more than 60% that don’t meet the definition of healthy products. In December last year, the same centre announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Nestlé. It signalled their intent to “forge a transformative partnership” to shape “the…