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Sixty-one percent obese in SA

SIXTY-one percent of South Africans are overweight, according to a survey released on Wednesday. Cape Town was the worst affected with 72 percent of those surveyed there overweight, obese or morbidly obese. This was followed by Pretoria (68 percent), Johannesburg (59 percent) and Durban (52 percent). GlaxoSmithKline interviewed 500 people in the study. Of those surveyed, 47 percent said the government should play a more active role in targeting obesity, and 46 percent felt obesity would economically affect South Africa. The survey found that 60 percent of obese, and 62 percent of morbidly obese people considered themselves merely overweight; 49 percent of South Africans did not exercise; 71 percent had never dieted; and that lifestyle, food, poverty and demographics played a role in the weight of the nation. Of those interviewed, 65 percent had the perception that healthy food was more expensive than unhealthy food; 39 percent looked at cost when purchasing food; and 87 percent ate a home cooked dinner.

SAPA, 9 September 2010

Men complain a lot more when they have colds and flu than women do

A SURVEY conducted in the UK has shown that men complain more than women do when ill, and are more likely to embellish their symptoms. The research concluded that British men suffered fewer incidences of colds and flu each year than women - five for men and seven times for women, yet the men made more of a fuss. Almost half of male respondents admitted that when ill they would exaggerate their symptoms. The women reported that more than 57 percent of the men they knew become attention-seeking when ill - two-thirds of men were reported to be "constantly moaning and groaning". In contrast, men reported lower incidences of whinging from their partners, saying that only half of women complained excessively or constantly sought attention when they were ill. A quick whip-around the average South African office would attest to the fact that the colds and flu that invariably go with winter's icy grip do have an effect on productivity. Robyn Farrell, managing director of 1st for Women Insurance Brokers, said that although men may be sick less frequently than women, in general, when they are ill it seems they seek maximum sympathy, particularly from their partners. Funnily enough, about 76 percent of men refuse to take time off from work when they are ill. But that is not necessarily a good thing. They tend to soldier on, preferring to spread germs at their workplaces instead of taking time off to recover. One-third of the men surveyed also admitted that their partners would suffer in silence when ill, while just 26 percent of women said the same of their husbands and boyfriends.

The Star, 19 August 2010

Smoking laws boost how many want to quit

STRINGENT smoking laws, combined with the increasing cost of cigarettes, are discouraging South Africans from smoking, with a significant number of smokers considering quitting, according to a nationwide survey. The survey, carried out in March and April, found that smokers' habits, trends and behaviours were changing, with 66 percent of smokers saying the legislation restricting smoking in public places was making them consider quitting. Smokers, non-smokers and former smokers were surveyed. Amendments to the Tobacco Control Act came into force last year, barring smoking in partially enclosed areas and in cars in which there were small children. The amendments banned smoking in entertainment areas, including pubs, clubs, restaurant patios, and balconies, as well on pavements and in parkades. Vanessa Sew Chung Hong, brand manager for Nicorette, which commissioned the survey, said it was encouraging that more people were thinking of quitting. Of the 16 645 participants interviewed, 56 percent of the former smokers agreed with the stricter legislation, as did 44 percent of the smokers and 48 percent of the non-smokers. Gauteng and the Western Cape had the most participants in the survey, accounting for 45 percent and 28 percent of the respondents. Sixty-three percent of the smokers said they had tried to quit smoking between two and five times, while six percent had tried to quit more than six times. Another six percent said they had lost count. Participants cited stress as their reason for smoking, while those who had quit successfully said willpower had been the most effective way to do this. About 35 percent of those who quit smoking had relied on friends for help and support while giving it up.

Sipokazi Maposa: The Cape Argus, 13 August 2010

Measles complacency in Africa leading to hundreds of preventable deaths

THE worst outbreaks of measles in years are infecting thousands and killing hundreds across Africa, and offer tragic evidence of what happens when health authorities drop their guard on this highly contagious disease. Health experts say dramatic success in the past decade in boosting global measles vaccination cover and cutting death rates has led to dangerous levels of complacency in some countries, and policy focus and funds have drifted away. Even mothers - who, until recently in some of the worst-hit countries did not even name their children until they had survived measles - have been lured into a false sense of security, believing the disease has been beaten and they no longer need to bother to visit clinics for immunisation. About 164 000 people died from measles in 2008, down 78 percent from 733 000 in 2000, according to the Measles Initiative, which groups organisations like the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). But Unicef fears the combined effect of decreased political and financial commitment to measles could reverse the gains, resulting in an estimated 1.7 million measles-related deaths globally between 2010 and 2013. Africa is already experiencing some of its largest and most deadly measles outbreaks in years, and more than 1 400 people, many of them young children, have died so far this year. The African death toll is, so far, relatively small compared with India, which accounted for around 75 percent of child deaths from measles in 2008, but the risk is that continued complacency will allow this preventable virus to spread rapidly. According to the WHO, more than 28 countries in Africa have suffered outbreaks of measles this year. Some of the worst-hit are Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Health officials in Malawi say the viral disease has killed 197 people and infected 77 000 since January - the highest numbers recorded there in the past decade. Edward Hoekstra, a New York-based specialist with Unicef's Global Measles Programme, said experts' greatest fears - that the success against the disease could be reversed when efforts to keep it at bay lapse - were already starting to be realised. It costs less than R7 to vaccinate a child against measles, and two doses of the jab are required for full protection. To get coverage rates above the 90 percent rate needed to effectively conquer the disease, the WHO advises high-risk countries to conduct national vaccination sweeps every three years to cover those who missed out on jabs as babies.

Kate Kelland: Reuters via The Cape Times, 18 August 2010

Cancer is the world's top 'economic killer'

CANCER is the world's top "economic killer" as well probably being the leading cause of death, according to the American Cancer Society in a new report it will present at a global cancer conference in China. Cancer costs more in productivity and lost life than AIDS, malaria, the flu and other diseases that spread person-to-person, the report concludes. Chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes account for more than 60 percent of deaths worldwide but less than three percent of public and private funding for global health, said Rachel Nugent of the Center for Global Development, a Washington-based policy research group. Cancer's economic toll was $895 billion in 2008 - equivalent to 1.5 percent of the world's gross domestic product, the report said. That was in terms of disability and years of life lost - not the cost of treating the disease, which was not addressed in the report.

News-Medical.Net, 17 August 2010

Minister calls for re-launch of HIV testing

HEALTH Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has called for a re-launch of the HIV/AIDS-testing campaign, which has slumped because of the World Cup. Motsoaledi said that "millions of people" had been tested since the HIV-counselling and testing campaign was launched four months ago. But he said he was not satisfied with that result, and plans were being made to re-launch the campaign "in about a month's time". Referring to the UN's Millennium Development Goals and South Africa's failure to reduce its child mortality rate, and to the fight against HIV, Motsoaledi said the pandemic was far from being over. The Minister has met with Business Unity SA and appealed to its members for help "in cash or kind" to raise awareness about HIV testing. Motsoaledi said he wanted business to help by distributing condoms or running a "massive circumcision drive". Business Unity CEO Jerry Vilakazi said business had "a vested interest" in helping prevent HIV infection. He said the category that was highly infected were those who were economically active, in the age group between 25 and 39 - the drivers of the economy. Vilakazi said that business leaders had agreed to provide advertising expertise to the Health Department to "design campaigns that will speak to the young and funky generation". Meanwhile, private hospital group Life Healthcare said it will offer free HIV testing and counselling at 10 of its hospitals and at 60 clinics, in support of the government's campaign to get 15-million South Africans tested for HIV by June next year. Life Healthcare's Keith Shongwe said it was imperative for the private sector to join hands with government.

Harriet McLea: The Times, 17 August 2010
Tamar Kahn: Business Day, 17 August 2010

ARV dropouts exacerbate epidemic

A RISING number of HIV-positive South Africans who fail to take antiretrovirals increase the risk of drug-resistant HIV strains being spread. More than a million people are enrolled in the government's antiretroviral treatment programme, but the dropout rate has increased from one percent in 2002 to 13% in 2007, a study has found. Morna Cornell, research director of the University of Cape Town's Centre for Infectious Diseases, explained why the dropout rate was a concern. She said there was a strong probability, depending on how long treatment was stopped, that a patient would no longer be able to take the cheaper first-line ARV treatment and would have to move onto a far more expensive second-line treatment. Cornell said this was one of the many reasons it was important to keep as many people on ARVs for as long as possible. The five-year study of the ARV treatment programme found that the rapidly growing number of patients on ARVs had put extra pressure on the healthcare system. It found that the number of people enrolling for ARV treatment increased twelve-fold between 2002 and 2007. The Department of Health anticipates more than 2.3 million people will be receiving ARV treatment by the end of 2013. Fidel Hadebe, spokesman for the Department of Health, said that "over a million" people were on ART and "we still want to expand". In November 2009, 919 923 patients had started using the life-prolonging ARV treatment. In February this year, the ART budget was increased by 96% to provide care for up to 2.3million patients by the end of 2013. The clinics reviewed by the researchers in the UCT study recorded 1 400 patients enrolling for ARV treatment in 2002 compared with 15 000 new ARV patients enrolling in 2007 alone. But as the number of ARV patients increased, so too did the chances that they would drop out of treatment. Cornell said the number of patients on ARVs affected clinics' ability to monitor and follow up on the non-collection of pills. Professor Francois Venter, director of the reproductive health and HIV research unit at Wits University, said this was excellent data and showed a worrying trend in that patients seemed increasingly likely to be lost.

Harriet McLea: The Times, 15 September 2010