Author name: Pii Digital

Nanosized particles (≤100nm in size) of gold are materials of great value with huge potential in biomedical, industrial and environmental applications. The biological applications include bio-labelling, drug/gene delivery, imaging, and sensing. For instance biological molecules can be adsorbed on the gold nanoparticle surfaces for release inside the cells. They are currently in use as sensitive …

New Initiative For NIOH: Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) Read More »

Professor Shabir Madhi has been appointed Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) as of 1 April 2011. Prof Madhi held the position of Professor of Vaccinology in the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences and is co-director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) – Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit. Professor Madhi also holds …

Prof Shabir Madhi is the new NICD Executive Director Read More »

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says over two-million people will contract a form of tuberculosis (TB) that is resistant to treatment with many drugs between 2011 and 2015. WHO's top TB official, Mario Raviglione, says hundreds-of-thousands of people around the world will die from multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) unless greater efforts are made to contain the …

WHO: 2m Will Get Drug-resistant TB by 2015 Read More »

The Free State Health Department's campaign of sending officials into communities to find tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/Aids patients was working well, officials said yesterday. The pilot HCT (HIV counselling and testing) campaign could be the new "modus operandi of primary healthcare" in the Free State, head of the province's Health Department, Sipho Kabane, told reporters. …

TB Campaign Working In Free State Read More »

About 70% of tuberculosis (TB) patients in KwaZulu-Natal were HIV-positive, the provincial Health Department said on Tuesday. "TB is a problem in South Africa but it is worse in KZN, more especially in eThekwini Municipality," Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo said, addressing reporters in Durban. He said SA would be a better country in terms of …

TB ‘A Problem’ In KZN Read More »

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has now spread to most parts of KwaZulu-Natal after first being detected in the Tugela Ferry area. Bruce Margot, head of the provincial TB programme, said that the aim of the Health Department is to have 86 mobile teams operational in the province by June to treat drug-resistant TB patients in …

XDR-TB Spreads in KZN Read More »

New technology, using smartphones, has been developed in South Africa to track and monitor patents with tuberculosis (TB). The University Research Corporation (URC) has partnered with the Department of Health and designed a satellite-locating software which would be used through smartphones to help in tracing and monitoring people with TB. The technology would give detailed …

New Technology To Track, Monitor TB Sufferers Read More »

Introduction The World Head Injury Awareness Day falls on March 20th every year and it looks at the number of people who suffer from a mild bump on their head to severe brain injury. The purpose of this day is to remind us on how we could reduce accidents and brain injuries if we are …

World Head Injury Awareness Day Read More »

HEALTH NEWS Black women at greater risk of cervical cancer Black women in South Africa are at a greater risk of contracting cervical cancer, a disease that kills 3 000 every year. Professor Harald zur Hausen, 2008 Nobel Laureate and the man credited for identifying the link between human papillomaviruses (HPV) and cervical cancer, will …

Black Women At Greater Risk Of Cervical Cancer Read More »

  There is a viral meningitis outbreak in the Nelspruit area, says the Mpumalanga health department. A total of 15 patients, including children, had tested positive for the virus, spokesman Mpho Gabashane said on Wednesday. He said the department was alerted by MediClinic, two weeks ago, after 10 patients had been screened. Only five of …

Meningitis Outbreak In Nelspruit Read More »