04 May - Health

In today’s show, we were joined on the line by Dr Ivan Bromfield - who is the City of Cape Town’s Director of Health. He spoke to us about swine fever. Cases of swine flu, which has killed people in Mexico, have been confirmed around the world. With experts scrambling to develop a vaccine, there is concern at the potential for a pandemic affecting millions of people. In South Africa which is reported to be the first African state to report suspected cases of the flu (two women who had recently returned from Mexico) has mobilised outbreak response teams in all provinces. Dr Bromfield explained more about the contingency plans they have in place. If you would like more information contact your nearest clinic or hospital.

We also heard from Professor Colin Green - a British surgeon and member of Physicians for Human Rights who will be in SA for a brief visit from 2 -6 May. He will be giving talks about his work and experience in Palestine, specifically Gaza and the West Bank over the last 25 years.. He helped start the first medical school in Palestine in 1999, and will be opening a telemedicine facility in Ramallah on 11 May. We spoke about the work Professor Green does. For more information call (021) 487 9021.

We also heard from Dr Peter De Jong a gynecologist we were talking about Endometriosis. It is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is also found elsewhere in the body, mainly in the abdominal cavity. The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain. The pain is often with menstruation, however a woman with endometriosis may also experience pain at other times during her monthly cycle. Another symptoms is infertility, and some women with endometriosis also experience severe fatigue. Endometriosis can affect women from all walks of life ranging from adolescence to post-menopause, and be so painful as to render a woman or girl unable to go about her normal routine. March is International Endometriosis Awareness Month in honour of all those affected by the disease. For more information go to www.endometriosis.org or contact him on (021) 422 3290 he is based at Chris Bernard Memorial Hospital.

We closed off the show with an interview with Professor Robin Green – Professor of Paediatric Pulmonology at the University of Pretoria. We were talking about Asthma. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, affecting more than 300 million people world-wide. Asthma is characterized by symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness and coughing. However, asthma experts do know that with proper treatment most asthma patients can achieve good control of their disease. This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “You Can Control Asthma”. In South Africa, the National Asthma Education Campaign collaborates with an international body and is tasked with the responsibility to disseminate globally accepted asthma treatment guidelines and implement asthma related patient education. For more information visit your nearest hospital or clinic alternatively go to www.asthma.co.za or www.pulmonology.co.za

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