South African health authorities educate the public about breastfeeding but without supportive legislation and strong communication, it will never be normalised.
People are leading more sedentary lifestyles and eating calorie dense foods fuelling obesity.
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South Africa has the highest obesity levels in Africa but blaming sugar neglects the many factors at play in this complex health issue.
Early detection and treatment of diabetes can be life-saving, but prevention by adopting healthier diets and lifestyle is even better.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Being able to buy processed "food-like" products is often seen as a mark of personal and material success. Little attention is paid to having a healthy diet.
The age profile of people living in Africa is changing - they are living longer.
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The burden of communicable disease is declining in Africa and life expectancy is increasing. But non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer are wreaking havoc.
Each suicide has a social, economic and cultural context. And unless these factors are considered alongside psychiatric care, steadily increasing suicide rates will not be curbed.
Baker’s asthma is an occupational asthma that bakery employees develop after being exposed to cereal grains such as wheat, rye and yeast.
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Bakery employees develop asthma when they are exposed to high levels of flour dust. Although there are international guidelines these are often not protective and badly implemented.
South Africa, despite its bold commitments to improve breastfeeding, does not have national data to monitor breastfeeding rates to ensure that its policies are being effective.
Testing and treatment is important in tackling HIV. But stigma and access need to be addressed too.
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Taking antiretrovirals is key to reducing HIV infection rates, but the challenge lies in making sure people who know they are infected actually take the drugs.
Mobile technology can help people adhere to treatment regimes.
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Natalie Leon, South African Medical Research Council
If hypertension patients don't take their medication regularly, they can't control this lifelong disease. Text message communication from clinics can help remind them.
An unacceptably high proportion of children in South Africa live in poor conditions.
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Inequalities in the nutritional status of poor and rich have been mitigated through various social protection policies, but children in South Africa remain at risk of malnutrition.
A recent advert for South Africa’s Castle Lager.
Brandcouncil SA
The messages that adolescents receive from sexuality education classes are frequently negative. It's time for the curriculum to become more empowering for learners and teachers.
In many rural areas, poor people are suffering from malnutrition, which takes the form of stunting and obesity. To change this, their food environments must change.
Hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attacks, heart failure and peripheral vascular disease. And in the developing world, it is on the rise.
African scientists have developed and patented a test for TB that overcomes two major challenges with current methods: it delivers quick results and is much cheaper.
In South Africa, many child homicides are the result of children being abandoned.
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The high rate of child homicides in South Africa shows that reproductive, mental health and social services are failing to help vulnerable mothers.
Women should attend antenatal clinics in the first trimester of their pregnancies and regularly thereafter to avoid complications during childbirth.
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Early antenatal care allows for early detection of HIV, a contributor to maternal mortality, as well as the treatment of other potentially life-threatening conditions associated with pregnancy.
Professsor of Public Health; Co-Director Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa; Panel Member, Private Healthcare Market Inquiry, University of the Witwatersrand
