The Bridge - Health interviews: Recent Episodes
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Tamelyn Bock is the winner of Miss Wheelchair SA 2021, who will represent South Africa at Miss Wheelchair World in Mexico in October 2022. The aim is to create awareness around 'Beauty without Barriers' and change the perception, narrative, and image of disabled women in South Africa
Miss Wheelchair South Africa is passionate about raising funds to help other disabled individuals in need. She has created a platform to showcase projects she is currently busy with and it will give individuals updates during my reign.
Tamelyn Geneview Bock also created the website to raise funds in order for her to represent South Africa at Miss Wheelchair World in Mexico, California this year October.
The Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics (“VIDA”) Research Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand (“Wits”) South Africans had extensive immunity against severe Covid-19 disease and death prior to Omicron, due to high infections in the first 3 waves and vaccination. This is why when Omicron arrived, the country did not see a corresponding rise in hospitalisations and deaths.
This is according to a study which was led by researchers at the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (Wits-VIDA), and involved collaboration from scientists at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the South African Medical Research Council.
Teen suicide is becoming more common every year in South Africa. In fact only car accidents and homicide kill more youth between the ages of 15 and 24. In South Africa 9% of all teen deaths are caused by suicide. The fastest growing age is young people under 35, specifically female suicides which peak between 15 to 19 years!
Teen Suicide Prevention Week ● Teen Suicide Prevention Week (February 14 – 21) highlights awareness around teen depression and suicide, especially with the increased stressors of the pandemic. ● Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15- to 19-year-olds (WHO, 2020). ● As the pandemic has worsened across the globe, so has the mental health of children and teens.
The World Health Organization says cancer is the leading cause of death around the world.This year's theme for World Cancer Day (4 February) was 'Close the Care Gap'. It aims to highlight the huge inequalities in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.
The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) are calling on everyone to use their influence to help ‘close the gap in cancer care’.
People living with disabilities who face barriers to accessing health care for cancer diagnosis and treatment are part of the focus of World Cancer Day.
He is a trained paediatrician, and currently runs the Paediatric and Adolescent HIV Clinical Services at Groote Schuur Hospital. Since 2017 Rudzani has served as a member of the South African National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG).
Substance use is an important health and social issue globally as well as in South Africa. According to the 2021 World Drug Report by the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), it was estimated that in 2018 approximately 269 million people globally had used a drug at least once in the previous year. This is expected to rise to 299 million people by 2030. After more than a decade of living on the streets and using drugs, Koketso Mokubane has officially been clean for the past three years. Koketso now works as a peer educator for the Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) — has also been cleared of hepatitis C, thanks to the harm reduction programme offered by the NGO.
South Africa celebrates National Disability Rights Awareness Month annually between November 3 and December 3. This Friday, December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and is also celebrated as National Disability Rights Awareness Day. • The Zekwande Foundation was started by a Young Autistic Advocate, Zekwande Mathenjwa. • Zekwande Foundation aims to get as many Nonspeaking Autistics in South Africa and beyond on the S2C programme to enable them to speak and express themselves in order to reach their potential.
The Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa) has condemned the recent attacks on Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel in the country.
According to reports, the union, which has more than 60 000 members in the public and private health sectors, said attacks on EMS staff were on the rise, especially in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
“There have been close to 100 reported EMS attacks in South Africa this year, with fears that this number will increase during the festive season,” said the union.
Throughout the many years, the Health Professions Council of SA has been urging the public to be on the look-out for bogus doctors. The council says many South Africans fall victim to fraudulent medical practitioners.
The recent call comes after the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and police recently uncovered two allegedly bogus doctors in the Northern Cape while last month, four bogus practitioners have been arrested in connection with illegal and unregistered practices in Silverton, Pretoria.
We are now joined by Eric Mphaphuli, Senior Manager: Inspectorate Office at the Health Professions Council of SA
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), infertility in women was ranked as the 5th highest and most serious global disability. The Infertility Awareness Association of South Africa (IFAASA) confirmed that as many as one in six couples are impacted by infertility. • Infertility occurs in men and women and may be due to several factors such as occupational and environmental risks, age, smoking and alcohol use. • Another common risk factor for infertility in women is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a hormonal disorder with 8–13% of women suffering from this condition.
New parents have been experiencing added mental health strain during Covid-19's protracted lockdown, a new South African study has revealed. The recent study conducted by an all-female research team at the UCT found this to be the truth while exploring the birth and new parenting experiences of South African parents during lockdown.
October marks the month of breast cancer awareness in South Africa. The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) highlights the important role that women can play in taking ownership of their personal health during breast cancer awareness month and that getting checked regularly and early, is vital.
With 1.7 million women diagnosed each year, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. In South Africa, according to the National Cancer Registry (2017), one in 26 women are at risk of developing breast cancer. And 16% of cancer deaths are attributed to it. There is growing concern that most women present with late-stage cancers, which make for a difficult prognosis.
SPEAKING TO MS THULILE KHANYILE, AWARD-WINNING ACADEMIC IN THE SCIENCES, LECTURER AND DOCTORAL CANDIDATE AT WITS UNIVERSITY INVESTIGATING PREVENTATIVE VACCINATION STRATEGIES AGAINST HIV-1.
SPEAKING TO DR. BULELA VAVA, FOUNDER AND NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON OF THE PUBLIC ORAL HEALTH FORUM September is national Oral Health Month – time to pay extra attention to your dental routine. The Public Oral Health Forum is delving deeper into oral health in South Africa under this year's theme: Reimagining oral healthcare delivery in South Africa - Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) advocates on behalf of all persons with disabilities in South Africa.
• The NCPD’s Casual Day Campaign aims to raise essential funds to support persons living with disabilities persons, and they need your help.• The campaign kicked off on the 3rd September and runs until December 3 (International Day of Persons with Disabilities). • Casual day took place on Friday 3 September
Every year on 31 August, we celebrate African Traditional Medicine Day to promote the important role of the continent’s rich biodiversity of medicinal plants and herbs in improving well-being.
African Traditional Medicine Day.
• Last week on 31 August was African Traditional Medicine Day and it was an acknowledgement of the contribution traditional medicine has made to the health of the people of Africa for centuries. • For generations, the vast majority of people across the continent have relied on traditional medicine as the main source of their health care needs, as it is trusted, acceptable, affordable and accessible.
Dineo chats to dermatologist Slindile Ndwalane about the importance of personal hygiene
If you have a loved one with borderline personality disorder (BPD), life can be tense with crises and conflict. BPD is less well-known, than other mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, but it comes with debilitating symptoms that cause significant distress and unstable relationships, for both those diagnosed and their families and loved ones. Misunderstood, fearing abandonment, on an emotional rollercoaster and often suicidal – this is life for many people with borderline personality disorder, but there is treatment that offers hope and restored quality of life. To tell us more about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is Dr. Aneshree Moodley, Psychiatrist and member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP)
A Quiet Implosion is a documentary that seeks to explore some of the root causes of so many doctors not coping. It is through a series of three interviews with junior doctors in SA, all on very different paths and looks at how the problem can be addressed.
A recurrence of COVID-19 cases has made South Africa tense and the second phase of the vaccination rollout is underway. Furthermore, there have been allegations of people skipping the vaccine line. Videos showing people who are not healthcare workers lined up to be vaccinated have been released, highlighting the system's abuse.
Zita has a Master’s Degree in Child Law The Centre for Child Law is based in the Law Faculty at the University of Pretoria. • The case of a 14-year-old girl arrested in connection with the assault on schoolgirl Lufuno Mavhunga has been postponed to Thursday. • The teenager, who made her first court appearance on Friday, appeared again in the Thohoyandou children’s magistrate’s court on Tuesday for her bail application. • The teenager was arrested last week not long after a video of her assaulting Mavhunga at the Mbilwi Secondary School in Thohoyandou emerged and was shared widely online. • The incident resulted in the 15-year-old Mavhunga taking her own life, sparking outrage and re-igniting debate about bullying in schools.
SPEAKING TO DR BOITUMELO SEMETE-MAKOKOTLELA, CEO AT SAHPRA (SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH PRODUCTS REGULATORY AUTHORITY)
The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has recommended that the temporary pause on the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be lifted “provided that specific conditions are met”, the organisation said in a statement on Saturday evening. “These conditions include, but are not limited to, strengthened screening and monitoring of participants who are at high risk of a blood clotting disorder.
• SA placed a temporary suspension on the J&J vaccination rollout last week while scientists probe the possible link between the vaccine and a rare type of blood clot in the brain. • This is after the US’ Food and Drug Administration reportedly took a decision to pause the use of the vaccination pending a review, after reports that six women in the US developed rare cerebral venous thrombosis, which are blood clots in combination with low blood levels of blood platelets.
SPEAKING TO NKULULEKO BENEDICT MHLONGO, PSYCHOLOGIST, LECTURER,COMMUNITY ACTIVIST AND PHD CANDIDATE,ACADEMICALLY AND CLINICALLY TRAINED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND.
Dr Mathobela Matjekane said she hoped her story would encourage others to take the risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19 seriously, as she described it as “fighting a monster squashing your lungs”. A local doctor and mother of two describes her experience of getting Covid-19 twice as only through God’s grace she survived severe symptoms that left her gasping for air after walking a few steps.
Doctor who contracted Covid-19 twice ’survived through God’s grace’ • It is terrible. I would not wish it on anyone. The first time I (didn’t) believe I had Covid-19... What stood out for me though was the shortness of breath I had never experienced with flu before. Then a friend contracted the virus and shared their symptoms and I realised it must have been Covid-19,” she said. • Matjekane said she recovered within two weeks, enabling her to go back to work. • “With the second wave around November/December a number of people were testing and many were testing positive. For every 10 people we tested, at least seven would come back positive,” she said.
• Dr. Njeri Mwagiru holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an infodemic is " too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak." • Dr. Mwagiru, a senior futurist of the Institute for Futures Research at the University Stellenbosch Business School, says vaccine conspiracy theories are often accepted as truth because of social anxiety and a lack of public trust. • The futurist says individuals need to take responsibility for fact-check information while media houses and educational institutions need to provide more critical analysis
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize recently thanked health care workers for their contribution in the fight against Covid-19 as SA marked exactly one year since the first case was recorded. The South African government’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout programme has made some strides, with more than 100 000 healthcare workers having been administered the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. We are now joined by one of the fortunate health care workers who have been vaccinated to hear their experience.
Burnout – the state of absolute exhaustion resulting from chronic stress – is considered a work-related condition but with lockdowns and remote working blurring the lines between home and office and classroom. “Lockdown burnout” is a reality in the “new normal” of Covid-19. As people juggle working from home with running a household, childcare and assisting children with online learning, along with fear and anxiety about Covid-19 risks, uncertainty about jobs and finances, and lack of access to their usual de-stressing activities, the pressures of daily life are greater and so too the risks of burnout.
It is a matter of fact now that many healthcare workers are exposed to the virus and DENOSA’s main concern is the safety of both healthcare workers and community members. According to Denosa, Healthcare workers are anxiously waiting for the vaccine roll-out as they are the first in line to get the vaccine.
Since it is change of season, the team brings a professor on the show to discuss allergies
The team chats to dietician Mbali Mapholo about the link between low carb diets and death
The team chats about the popular O shot with the best in the business Dr Nicole Kanaris
Talking Obesity with pharmacist and founder of the Eden Life Wellness ClinicPaula Galvao
the team tackles hairloss with Live hair restoration clinic Senior Scalp Specialist, Dean Alister
This is the final installment in our series with Anele looking at alcoholism and dependency.
Adjustment Disorder is a group of symptoms, such as stress, feeling sad or hopeless, and physical symptoms that can occur after you go through a stressful life event. The symptoms occur because you are having a hard time coping.
The listeners get a chance to have a Q/A session with our resident gynaecologist Dr Mtsi. The Bridge – Clinical interviews with Dr Mtsi and Dr Siswana