One in 10 women has it, but getting help for endometriosis is a long and difficult journey for most.

A BBC investigation has revealed concerns about some aspects of the work of an FGM campaigner.

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On 24 July, we erroneously sent out a tweet with the statement/headline: “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in SA, four times more than murder”, with an accompanying link.

As pointed out by AfricaCheck (on Twitter at the time, and in a subsequent article today), and other Twitter users, this statement is definitely incorrect.

While “Heart disease is not THE leading cause of death in SA, four times more than murder” is most definitely incorrect, it would have been better to say “Heart disease is A leading cause of death in SA, four times more than murder”.

Even then, that would have been based on 2015 statistics, and no longer relevant.

The tweet mentioned above was deleted, as indicated, but not related to the matter above.

While we acknowledge that the statement was incorrect, and we should not have tweeted it, the tweet was also curated incorrectly – the headline and associated link were not related.

Once we discovered that we deleted immediately.

We will continue endeavour to take care with any information we post on social media.

Any further queries can be sent to feedback@health24.com.

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The 1% cap on Scottish public sector pay rises will be scrapped next year, Nicola Sturgeon confirms.

Harmonie-Rose Allen was just 11 months old when both her legs and arms were amputated because she became gravely ill from meningococcal septicaemia. Her parents, Freya Hall and Ross Allen, could have lost all hope of her ever being able to take those first few steps when she got older, but Harmonie-Rose proved otherwise.

Recently the family has shared a video of the the now 2-year-old fighter walking with prosthetic legs for the first time. It has since been viewed almost 30 000 times. 

The heart of a warrior

Harmonie-Rose had been through numerous physiotherapy sessions, where specialists tried to help her get used her prosthetic legs. For a long time, she needed assistance when walking in her prosthetic legs.

She even had a walker, specially made to hold her frame. She had spent a lot of time in the walker, but the victory that made her mom scream with elation was when Harmonie-Rose took her first few steps on her prosthetic legs. Here’s the video:

A fighting spirit

Even though the she had lost her arms, her legs and the tip of her nose, it didn’t put a damper on her fighting spirit. Earlier this year, she got up on to her stumps and began waddling with a little pram, which blew her parents Freya Hall and Ross Allen away. Freya even live streamed her daughter’s achievement on Facebook.

Harmonie-Rose initially had some difficulty adjusting to her prosthetics – she found it difficult to become comfortable and find her balance while wearing them – but it wasn’t long before she had honed her skills and was standing on her own.

Pushing through the pain

She had been through several physiotherapy sessions, where specialists tried to make her comfortable using the prosthetics. Harmonie-Rose would waddle around in a special walker, trying to master something many of us take for granted.

Freya and Ross were able to take the walker home so that Harmonie-Rose would be able to practise walking, hoping it would become second nature.

Education and persistence

Freya and Ross urge parents to educate themselves about the various symptoms their children are experiencing so that they know what to do and where to go in order for their children to receive the best care possible.

Initially, Freya thought Harmonie-Rose just had a simple illness; they thought she just had a common cold, but the day where her daughter was breathing differently, she knew it was more than just a cold.

Freya and Ross told the BBC that they had taken their daughter to hospital one night when she woke up struggling to breathe. The hospital staff said they couldn’t find anything wrong with her and proceeded to send her home.

They took her back the next after she had suffered convulsions, but again, the found nothing wrong and sent them home. Later that day, Freya and Ross took her back to the hospital because she had become lazy and developed a rash-like bruise on her nose. Her legs and arms had also turned black by the time they had reached the hospital.

Preparing for the worst

After a number of tests were run, doctors discovered Harmonie-Rose had contracted a rare form of meningococcal septicaemia and that they would have to amputate both her arms and legs.

There was little hope that she would survive.

The rash-like bruise, which first started on her nose, had proceeded to cover her whole body. Hospital staff said it was one of the worst cases they had ever seen.

But Harmonie-Rose defied the odds and after spending weeks in ICU, things were looking up for her. She began learning how to do basic things, like turning the page of a hard-board book with her stumps and beginning to speak.

Freya told BBC news that she is so impressed with Harmonie-Rose’s progress. She knows that her daughter still has her bright mind, even though she has had meningitis, which could cause damage because of swelling around the brain and spinal cord.

Symptoms and treatment

Meningitis Now says that if someone is ill and not getting better, you should seek medical help immediately. And an important message they place great emphasis on is that you should not wait for a rash before going to a doctor.

The organisation lists the following as symptoms of the illness:

• Fever
• Cold hands and feet
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Confusion and irritability
• Severe muscle pain
• Pale skin, accompanied by a rash
• Stiff neck
• Severe headache
• Seizures
• Inability to handle brightness

Another trick the website mentions to identify meningococcal septicaemia is the glass test. If a rash does not disappear, or at least become less prominent under the pressure of the glass being pressed against it, could be a sign of meningococcal septicaemia and you would need to seek medical help immediately.

Compiled by Stefni Herbert

Their parents met when they were teenagers at school in London, they wed in 2004 and moved to Birmingham where they started a family. Five boys later their family was complete – and then the unthinkable happened.

First Makeda (38) developed bowel cancer and had extensive surgery – but the disease had spread. Then her husband, Omena, was diagnosed with bowel cancer too.

Both fought the disease for three years but Makeda lost her battle last week. And then on 4 September, a day before his wife’s funeral, Omena passed away too, leaving their sons orphaned.

Weeks before his death, Omena was determined to raise money for his children, aged between seven and 19.

In a heartbreaking video posted on YouTube in August, the emotional and bed-ridden dad thanked everyone for supporting him and his family through the tough times.

“Myself and my five boys, we’ve just lost my wife, they’ve lost a mother, and they’ve lost their best friend as well,” Omena said. “I know at times people say ‘be strong, be strong, be strong’, but sometimes, guys, it’s tough.”

Shortly before his passing his best friend, Femi Lloyd, said Omena wasn’t processing his wife’s death fully but was determined to stay alive for his kids.

Tragically, it was not to be. Charles Busari, a family friend, posted the sad news about Omena’s death on the GoFundMe page.

“It breaks my heart to report that sadly our dear brother Omena lost his fight to cancer in the early hours of Monday 4th September 2017.”

Tributes have been pouring in for the couple and the five boys they left behind.

“May God comfort your children, may they be pleased in the fact that they had amazing parents even for such a short time,” one person posted. “May they be comforted and honour your legacy as the years progress.”

“Omena, we bonded over diet and fitness. You fought so very hard. No more pain. May you and your dear wife Makeda rest in perfect peace,” another wrote.

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 Sources: Metro, Daily Mail, Go Fund Me, Birmingham Mail

Robyn Lucas, YOU

The infection kills off cancerous cells and leaves healthy ones unharmed, animal studies show.