05 March – Health

Today we spoke to Jacques Lambiotte – chairman of the National Kidney Foundation of South Africa. One of the aims of the foundation is to provide education and information to the public on kidney diseases and how to prevent from getting any kind of kidney disease. It is said that Chronic Kidney Diseases will claim 36 million lives by the year 2015 and 10 thousand South African men, women and children will die of kidney failure every year. For more information you can contact the National Kidney Foundation at (011) 447 2531 or email them at nkfsa@mweb.co.za alternatively you can visit their website at www.nkf.co.za

We also spoke to Fawzia Desai – Deputy Director for the Western Cape health department about diarrhea as we know that February and March are designated as Diarrhoeal Disease Focus Months. For more information about Diarrhoeal Disease you can visit your nearest clinic or day hospital or contact at the department of health at (021) 483 3235.

Our last interview was with Professor Asgar Ali Kalla from the Groote Schuur Lupus clinic. Lupus is an auto immune disorder that attacks the body. This means that the body’s defense system would break down its own tissues, blood cells and organs. Black and Asian women are more likely to get Lupus and they are 8 times more likely to get it than men. For more information about Lupus you can contact the clinic at (021) 658-5111 or for appointments you can call (021) 404 5360.