South Africa diagnoses too few children with cancer, a gap that experts say costs lives. In the Cape Town metro, the Western Cape health department estimates that clinicians diagnose about 100 children under 15 with cancer each year. Rates are broadly stable, but case numbers are rising with population growth. Nationally, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) estimates that…
Tag: Paediatrics
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US Childhood Vaccine Schedule Under Legal Challenge
Major US medical organisations are asking a federal judge in Boston to urgently block new federal guidance that reduces the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children. The debate centres on whether changes to the US Childhood Vaccine Schedule by the administration could impact public health. In addition, the case is shaping up as a pivotal test of how far…
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Childhood Hypertension Rates Nearly Double Globally
High blood pressure, a condition traditionally associated with adults, is rapidly becoming a major health crisis for the younger generation. New research published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health reveals that the worldwide prevalence of hypertension in children and adolescents under the age of 19 has almost doubled between 2000 and 2020. In 2000, approximately 3.2% of children had…
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Antibiotic Resistance Claims Lives of Premature Babies
South Africa is facing a critical public health crisis as antibiotic resistance increasingly undermines life-saving treatments, particularly for vulnerable infants. Experts say that antibiotic-resistant infections are now the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the country. This is especially true among premature babies who are prone to hospital-acquired infections. Antibiotic resistance claims lives needlessly, highlighting the severity of the crisis.…