Malawi is a small and beautiful country in south-central Africa. It is divided into three administrative regions: south, central and north. The regions are further subdivided into 28 districts. The Southern Region is the most densely populated, while the Northern Region is the least populated.
South Africa is a mineral-rich country. Although the mining of these minerals generates wealth for the country, it also causes diseases in the mine workers who are exposed to harmful dust. Pulmonary silicosis, the disease most commonly caused by exposure to crystalline silica dust, was described in ...South African gold miners in the early 1900s not many years after gold-mining commenced. Most studies since then have been cross-sectional, with only one large cohort study being conducted on white miners; long-term trends have not been reported. Currently, South Africa has one of the highest rates of silicosis in the world.
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To eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) by 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a campaign against the disease. Since the launch in 2000, significant progress has been made to achieve this ambitious goal. In this article we review the progress and status of the LF programme in Afric...a through the WHO neglected
tropical diseases preventive chemotherapy databank, the Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) portal and other publications. In the African Region there are 35 countries endemic for LF. The Gambia was reclassified as not requiring preventive chemotherapy in 2015, while Togo and Malawi eliminated LF as a public health problem in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Cameroon discontinued mass drug administration (MDA) and transitioned to post-MDA surveillance to validate elimination. The trajectory of coverage continues to accelerate; treatment coverage increased from 0.1% in 2000 to 62.1% in 2018. Geographical coverage has also significantly increased, from 62.7% in 2015 to 78.5% in 2018. In 2019, 23 of 31 countries requiring MDA achieved 100% geographic coverage. Although much remains to be done, morbidity management and disability prevention services have steadily increased in recent years. Vector control interventions conducted by other programmes, particularly malaria vector control, have had a profound effect in stopping transmission in some endemic countries in the region. In conclusion, significant progress has been made in the LF programme
in the region while we identify the key remaining challenges in achieving an Africa free of LF.
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La viruela del mono es una enfermedad transmisible emergente causada por un virus que se transmite a los seres humanos a partir de animales infectados, generalmente roedores. Puede contagiarse a otras personas, pero la transmisión de persona a persona por sí sola no es capaz de mantener un brote. ...La presentación clínica es similar a la observada en el pasado con la viruela, pero menos grave. La viruela fue erradicada en el mundo en 1980; sin embargo, la viruela del mono sigue produciéndose esporádicamente en partes de África Central y Occidental, cerca de las selvas tropicales. Normalmente, la letalidad en los brotes de viruela del mono ha sido del 1 al 10%, pero con los cuidados adecuados, la mayoría de los pacientes se recupera. Este curso ofrece una introducción general a la viruela del mono y está dirigido al personal sanitario responsable de la prevención y el control de la viruela del mono.
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Founded in 1977, the Southern African Hypertension Society promotes the common interests of the members of the Society, being persons and organisations concerned with the study and treatment of hypertension. The Society is committed to the maintenance of the highest professional and ethical standard...s in clinical practice and research and in all its affairs and activities. The Society strongly endorses internationally recognised human rights standards, particularly in medical practice and research as set out in the Declaration of Tokyo, 1975 and the Declaration of Helsinki, 2008. The Society is opposed to all forms of discrimination on the grounds of nationality, race, religion or sex. The Society was registered as a non-profit company in South Africa in 2002.
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Most of the global burden of sepsis occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the prevalence and etiology of sepsis in LMICs are not well understood. In particular, the lack of laboratory infrastructure in many LMICs has historically precluded an assessment of the pathogens leading to ...sepsis. A recent systematic review found that data describing antimicrobial resistance were absent for 43% of countries in Africa, and only two countries have national antimicrobial resistance plans. In addition, small studies have identified indiscriminate antibiotic use both in and out of hospital settings in sub-Saharan Africa. The absence of microbiological data and lack of antibiotic stewardship complicate sepsis management and almost certainly worsens outcomes, particularly in low-resource systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, etiology, and outcomes of sepsis among a cohort of critically ill patients in a referral hospital of Malawi, with a focus on the prevalence of culture-confirmed bacteremia and urinary tract infections.
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The report examines financing in the battle against malaria, focusing on the role of foreign aid. It analyzes whether or not a disease such as malaria can be controlled or eliminated in Africa without health aid. It also presents a theoretical model of the economics of malaria and shows how health a...id can help avoid the “disease trap.” While calling for increased funding from international sources to fight malaria, it also recommends that African countries step up their own efforts, including on domestic resource mobilization. In 2016, governments of endemic countries contributed 31% of the estimated total of US $ 2.7 billion.
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The article analyzes the prevalence and risk factors of chronic respiratory diseases, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights that environmental exposures, such as biomass fuel usage and air pollution, significantly contribute to respiratory health issues in the region. The research underlines... the limited healthcare infrastructure, insufficient diagnostic tools, and the need for comprehensive data collection to better understand the burden of respiratory diseases. The authors advocate for targeted public health interventions, improved access to healthcare, and policies aimed at reducing exposure to risk factors to mitigate the prevalence of respiratory conditions.
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The World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa webpage on diabetes provides an overview of the disease's impact in the African Region. It highlights that diabetes is a serious, chronic, and costly condition, with projections estimating cases to rise to 23.9 million by 2030. The page outl...ines risk factors such as physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, tobacco use, and diets high in unhealthy fats and calories. It also discusses the three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Recent surveys indicate that up to 15% of adults aged 25 to 64 in the region have diabetes, with many unaware of their condition. The lack of access to proper treatment and medications, especially insulin, often leads to complications like neurological, vascular, or visual disorders, heart disease, stroke, lower limb amputation, and kidney failure.
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This study investigated occupational risk factors and exposure–response relationships for airway disease among health workers (HWs) exposed to cleaning agents in two tertiary hospitals in South Africa and Tanzania.
Previous studies have demonstrated an association between asthma or respiratory... symptoms and exposure to broad categories of cleaning-related exposures in healthcare settings. However, few studies have identified the specific cleaning agents responsible for asthma and other health outcomes. Products used for medical instrument cleaning and disinfection such as glutaraldehyde, orthophthalaldehyde (OPA) and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) have been implicated in the causation and exacerbation of work-related asthma (WRA) and upper airway outcomes such as rhinitis.
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A trauma resilience activity for CRS-WARO Action for the Protection and Integration of Migrants in Africa w(APIMA)
Achieving financial risk protection for the whole population requires significant financing for health. Health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are plagued with persistent underfunding, and recent reductions in official development assistance have been registered. To create fiscal
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space for health, the pursuit of efficiency gains and exploring innovative health financing for health seem attractive. This paper sought to synthesize available evidence on the nature of innovative health financing instruments, mechanisms and policies implemented in Africa. We further reviewed the factors that hinder or facilitate implementation, the lessons learnt on the structure, the development process and the implementation.
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Malaria ist nach wie vor eine lebensbedrohliche Krankheit, insbesondere in Afrika. Jährlich gibt es rund 228 Millionen Fälle mit hohen Sterberaten, vor allem bei Kindern unter fünf Jahren. Drei Absolvent:innen des Masterstudiengangs „Applied Information and Data Science“ entwickeln die Smartp...hone-App „Malatec“, die eine schnelle und kostengünstige Malaria-Diagnose ermöglichen soll. Die Diagnose erfolgt mithilfe eines preiswerten, 3D-gedruckten Mikroskops (unter 5 CHF) in Kombination mit einem Algorithmus, der auf neuronalen Netzen basiert und die Malaria-Parasiten in gefärbten Blutproben automatisch erkennt und zählt.
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Target Malaria is an innovative project that aims to reduce the population of mosquitoes that transmit malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby decreasing disease transmission. As part of its work to combat malaria, Target Malaria has started contained studies at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (U...VRI) in Uganda.
Accessed on 01/07/2025.
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UNICEF, as the lead agency of a multi-partner approach across 21 member states in Eastern and Southern Africa, identified that this point represents a moment for the WASH sector to take stock of progress towards SDG6,
understand the gaps in our current knowledge on levels of access, and take cours...e corrective actions to ensure that SDG6 is met in the remaining 10 years to 2030 vision.
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Manual 1. The Practical Approach to Care Kit – PACK – is used by nurses, doctors and community health workers in their everyday work to care for patients at the clinic and in the community –PACK Adult, PACK Adolescent, PACK Child and PACK Community.PACK Home is designed for people seeking more... information about how to care for their own health and the health of their family at home.Collect and read all the PACK Home volumes in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu or Sesotho
Download the different languages: https://knowledgetranslation.co.za/pack/pack-home/
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Community health workers (CHWs) serve as a very important direct link between patients, communities and health services. As trusted on-the-ground support to community members, they therefore expand access to essential healthcare information as well as available treatment and prevention programmes.
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This course book provides appropriate, cost-effective, and sustainable targeted learning for the large numbers of emerging community health workers in South Africa.
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The South African (SA) guidelines for cardiac patients for non-cardiac surgery were developed to address the need for cardiac risk assessment and risk stratification for elective non-cardiac surgical patients in SA, and more broadly in Africa.
The guidelines were developed by updating the Canadian ...Cardiovascular Society Guidelines on Perioperative Cardiac Risk Assessment
and Management for Patients Who Undergo Non-cardiac Surgery, with a search of literature from African countries and recent publications. The updated proposed guidelines were then evaluated in a Delphi consensus process by SA anaesthesia and vascular surgical experts.
The recommendations in these guidelines are:
1. We suggest that elective non-cardiac surgical patients who are 45 years and older with either a history of coronary artery disease, congestive cardiac failure, stroke or transient ischaemic attack, or vascular surgical patients 18 years or older with peripheral vascular disease require further preoperative risk stratification as their predicted 30-day major adverse cardiac event (MACE) risk exceeds 5%
(conditional recommendation: moderate-quality evidence).
2. We do not recommend routine non-invasive testing for cardiovascular risk stratification prior to elective non-cardiac surgery in adults (strong recommendation: low-to-moderate-quality evidence).
3. We recommend that elective non-cardiac surgical patients who are 45 years and older with a history of coronary artery disease, or stroke or transient ischaemic attack, or congestive cardiac failure or vascular surgical patients 18 years or older with peripheral vascular disease should have preoperative natriuretic peptide (NP) screening (strong recommendation: high-quality evidence).
4. We recommend daily postoperative troponin measurements for 48 - 72 hours for non-cardiac surgical patients who are 45 years and older with a history of coronary artery disease, or stroke or transient ischaemic attack, or congestive cardiac failure or vascular surgical patients 18 years or older with peripheral vascular disease, i.e. (i) a baseline risk >5% for MACE 30 days after elective surgery (if no preoperative NP screening), or (ii) an elevated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)/N-terminal-prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measurement before elective surgery (defined as BNP >99 pg/mL or a NT-proBNP >300 pg/mL) (conditional recommendation: moderate-quality evidence).
Additional recommendations are given for the management of myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) and medications for comorbidities.
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Schistosomiasis is a chronic disease linked to poverty and is widely endemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. For decades, the World Health Organization has called for a larger role of the primary health care system in schistosomiasis control, and its integration within the routine activities of... primary health care facilities. Here, we reviewed existing studies on the integration of schistosomiasis control measures within the primary health care system, more precisely at the health centre, and we analysed their outcomes.
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Cardiology Training is offered only at universities with linked medical schools and training hospitals in South Africa. Limited training positions are available for this subspecialty training, according to government allocations in the respective provinces.
Cardiology Training follows strict guid...elines. A logbook must be kept to prove proficiency in techniques, and a prescribed minimum number of each different procedure performed must be recorded.
The College of Medicine is responsible for conducting the qualifying examination.
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