Recent deaths in the United States and Canada due to the H1N1 flu has once again raised concern about the swine flu virus. South Africa has been unscathed by the H1N1 flu outbreak and the local health authorities have assured South Africans that the country is prepared for any spread of swine flu among the population. However the recent deaths and new infections in first world countries indicates that H1N1 flu is spreading although it had drastically slowed in recent weeks. With travellers from Asia and Africa arriving in South Africa daily, countries with a less vigilant national health body may not be detecting or reporting cases of H1N1 flu among their citizens.
American Foul Brood disease (not fowl brood or breed) is a bacterial infection affecting queen, drone and worker larvae but is not infectious to humans. American foulbrood (AFB) disease does not affect adult bees but can be spread by the ‘nurse bees’ that feed larvae. AFB has recently received significant media attention in South Africa due to the outbreak in the Western Cape. Beekeepers and honey manufacturers are concerned that AFB may decimate the local honey industry if the disease continues to spread.
The current media attention revolving around swine flu had South Africans wondering when cases will be reported in South Africa. Given the HIV/AIDS infection rate in South Africa, a swine flu pandemic can have a severe impact on the South African population. While developed countries are already starting to assess the economic impact of a potential swine flu pandemic, South Africans are wondering about steps that they should be considering in dealing with the swine flu infection that has hit South African shores.
Extreme drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) or also known as extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis is multi drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) that is resistant to three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs use for the treatment of tuberculosis. XDR-TB received widespread media attention in 2008 when a number of cases were reported in KwaZulu Natal (KZN), South Africa. This was due to a study in The Lancet that brought to light the outbreak of the highly virulent XDR-TB in KZN, South Africa.
