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

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

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

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

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

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

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…
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Children most at risk as measles cases soar from Ethiopia to Yemen

Children most at risk as measles cases soar from Ethiopia to Yemen

The urgency of Abdirizak Ahmed's efforts to fight a measles outbreak in Ethiopia hit home last month when two of the aid worker's colleagues lost children to the disease, which is making a comeback from Africa to India and Britain. "Both boys died before they reached the 13th month or 14th month of life ... It's devastating," said Abdirizak, who works for charity Save the Children in the Horn of Africa country, which reported 10,000 cases in 2023 - the world's highest toll after Yemen, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and India, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data.  COVID-19 disrupted routine vaccinations against measles globally in…
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80% of premature baby deaths happen in poorer countries. Five simple measures that can help save them

80% of premature baby deaths happen in poorer countries. Five simple measures that can help save them

WORLDWIDE in 2020 a baby died every 40 seconds because of complications of prematurity. Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under 5 years old. The burden of preterm birth is heavier in in low- and middle-income countries, where around 80% occur. The countries with the highest recorded preterm rates in Africa are Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana. In Ethiopia 12.9% of babies were born preterm in 2020. In Nigeria the figure was 9.9%. ANDREW SHENNAN, Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London and chair of the FIGO Preterm Birth Committee…
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HIV among older South Africans in rural areas: big study shows there’s a problem that’s being neglected

HIV among older South Africans in rural areas: big study shows there’s a problem that’s being neglected

SOUTH Africa continues to have a high prevalence of HIV among all age groups. About 8.2 million people or 13.7% of the population live with HIV, one of the highest rates in the world. The country also has one of the world’s most impressive antiretroviral therapy programmes. Over 5 million people living with HIV are currently on chronic treatment. Widespread access to antiretroviral therapies since 2008 has led to millions of people ageing with chronic HIV infection. Consequently, people with HIV are older on average than they were just a decade ago. Most HIV prevention and treatment programmes and policies…
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Cape Verde is the third African country to eliminate malaria: here’s how

Cape Verde is the third African country to eliminate malaria: here’s how

CAPE Verde has been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization. The archipelago to the west of Senegal consists of 10 islands and has a population of over 500,000 people. It is the third country in Africa to be declared malaria-free, after Mauritius (in 1973) and Algeria (in 2019). TIAAN DE JAGER, Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences and Director: UP Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria TANESHKA KRUGER, UP ISMC: Project Manager and Coordinator, University of Pretoria This brings the total of malaria-free countries to 43 worldwide. Achieving malaria-free certification is no simple feat. As specialists in malaria…
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Zimbabwe launches door-to-door cholera vaccination campaign

Zimbabwe launches door-to-door cholera vaccination campaign

ZIMBABWE launched a cholera vaccination campaign to immunize over 2 million people against the waterborne disease, amid an outbreak that has killed hundreds since early last year. Cholera had killed 452 people and infected a total of 20,446 in the southern African country as of January 24, since the outbreak started in February 2023, according to health ministry statistics. About half of the cases have involved children. Zimbabwe will receive a total of 2.3 million vaccine doses from UNICEF and the World Health Organization to be deployed to 29 of the hardest-hit districts. More than 892,000 doses have already been…
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US Treasury official discusses cholera outbreak, debt with Zambia minister

US Treasury official discusses cholera outbreak, debt with Zambia minister

THE U.S. Treasury Department's top international official spoke with Zambia's finance minister and discussed Zambia's ongoing debt restructuring and its response to a recent cholera outbreak, the U.S. Treasury Department said. Zambia faces a major cholera outbreak that has killed at least 333 people since October, with over 8,000 cumulative cholera cases during this period, according to the website of the U.S. Embassy in Zambia. U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs Jay Shambaugh reiterated the U.S. government's "commitment to partner with Zambia" to end the outbreak when he spoke to Zambian Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, according to the Treasury…
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Cabo Verde’s malaria victory is a blueprint for Africa

Cabo Verde’s malaria victory is a blueprint for Africa

CABO Verde has achieved a significant milestone in the battle against malaria, securing malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). In news released on Friday, January 12, WHO explained that indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes across the archipelago of 10 islands has been halted nationwide for the past three consecutive years. The country's certification is the fourth on the continent, following Mauritius, Morocco, and Algeria in 1973, 2010, and 2019, respectively. Globally, 43 countries now hold malaria-free certifications. According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's Director-General, "WHO’s certification of Cabo Verde as malaria-free is a testament to the power…
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