HEALTH - The African Mirror

Apr

03

2024

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

HEALTH, LGBTQIA+

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

20

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

16

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

07

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

05

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…

Feb

23

2024

By ANDREW SHENNAN and MEGAN HALL

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

HEALTH

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…

Feb

22

2024

By JEN MANNE-GOEHLER, FRANCESC XAVIER GOMEZ-OLIVE CASAS, JULIA ROHR, KATHLEEN KAHN, NOMSA MAHLALELA and TILL BÄRNIGHAUSEN

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

HEALTH

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…

Feb

04

2024

By The African Mirror

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

HEALTH

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…

Jan

19

2024

By KANISHKA SINGH

US Treasury official discusses cholera outbreak, debt with Zambia minister

HEALTH

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…

Jan

18

2024

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Cabo Verde’s malaria victory is a blueprint for Africa

HEALTH

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…