Mothers-to-be are still advised to avoid all alcohol “just in case”, because it may not be completely safe.

The practices say that amid a GP shortage taking on any more patients would put people at risk.

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With the spread of HIV/Aids on the increase in the Vhembe region, local mayors and the executive mayor have joined forces to fight against the virus in the district.

Speaking at the recent launch of the Vhembe Aids Council, Executive Mayor Florence Radzilani said authorities were particularly concerned about the spread of HIV among school girls.

Focus on prevention

“It remains our responsibility to lead a healthy lifestyle. If we became the first ones to get tested for HIV, the people we lead will have courage to go for an HIV test,” said Radzilani.

She was joined in her effort by Thulamela Mayor Avhashoni Tshifhango, LIM345 Mayor Joyce Billa, Makhado Mayor Shonisani Sinyosi and Musina Mayor Mhloti Mhlophe.

The Thulamela Municipality Mayor, Avhashoni Tshifhango said many people still lack adequate information when it comes to HIV/Aids.

“We are aware that some people are still being convinced by fake prophets and sangomas to throw away their medication in order to be healed by holy spirits. Those are some of the things we are going to focus on, as we cannot stand aside and watch while our people are dying because of lack of knowledge and information about HIV,” he said.

Young girls the focus

“One remains concerned about the high level of infections among girls and young women, hence all of us should put more efforts in fighting against abuse of young women by adult men. We should say not with our children and prevent the spread of HIV/Aids,” said Radzilani.

She added: “All stakeholders should be champions of this important campaign to ensure that vulnerable girls and young women remain HIV free.”

The elected council has vowed that their focus will be on prevention as the critical pillar of their campaign. Their campaigns will be conducted together with the provincial Department of Health and other active campaigns focused mostly on young vulnerable girls at tertiary institutions within the province.

Not enough info about HIV

“We will promote awareness, tolerance to those affected and confront all root causes of the societal problems,” she said, adding that the council would also be working with the Treatment Action Campaign(TAC) in the district.

 – Health-e News.

^{Image credit: iStock}

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho

Most people haven’t heard of the science of ergonomics, and many who have think it only applies to office-based employees.

The word “ergonomics” comes from the Greek words érgo, which means work, and nómoi, which means laws. You would think it only applies to work, but it has a much wider application as one doesn’t only “work” at work.

The International Ergonomics Association (IEA) describes ergonomics as the scientific discipline concerned with “the understanding of interaction among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design with a result of optimising human well-being and overall system performance”.

In essence, ergonomics is making sure that you have the correct posture, and that your equipment (such as your desk and chair) helps you in achieving this. 

A real science

Ergonomists, people who practise and advise on the science of ergonomics, contribute to the design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments and systems to make them compatible with the needs, abilities and limitations of people.

Having ergonomics concepts integrated into the workplace results in improved employee well-being. Ergonomics expert and the Ergonomics Society of South Africa (ESSA) president, Professor Andrew Thatcher says smart employers implement ergonomics because it saves them money in the long term and reduces costs associated with unhealthy or unwell workers. It also improves productivity and work performance.

“Successful companies think beyond the short-term. Studies have shown that on average the return on investment from ergonomics interventions can improve productivity by between 10% and 25%,” says Thatcher.

Preventative measures

One of the most important aims of integrating ergonomics concepts into the workplace is to prevent workplace injuries as much as possible.

Musculoskeletal trauma are injuries which could occur in the workplace, and these injuries affect various muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels etc. Some of these injuries may be classified as repetitive stress or strain injuries, which may be avoidable if the equipment is tailored to your body and posture is corrected through the integration of ergonomics.

Thatcher says it’s a system discipline which is applied in three core areas – physical, cognitive and organisational ergonomics.

The International Ergonomics Association says that ergonomists need to have a comprehensive outlook at the science to take all three core areas into consideration.

Physical ergonomics speaks to the tasks the body needs to carry out. It looks at the anatomy and physiological aspects of activity.

Cognitive ergonomics looks at the mental processes involved in carry out various tasks – the differing stressors and what affects peoples’ decision-making skills and judgement.

Lastly, organisational ergonomics deals with systems and processes. It considers work times, work design and team work, to name a few.

Understanding every aspect

Thatcher says: “The role of the ergonomist is to understand the system interactions of a person with their task which they perform in a space which encapsulated in an environment.

“As ergonomists, we mostly focus on people at work, but we also look at product design – where products may be used in many domains – and the design of interactions in multiple contexts including homes, schools, which one is at leisure and in sports.” 

Therefore, ergonomics does not only apply to the office-based worker. Thatcher added that there are so many examples of where ergonomics is applied, such as the design of manufacturing plants, healthcare – patient safety, the design for agricultural wellbeing, mine safety, disaster management services, the design of sustainable products, interacting with transport systems, and so on.

One of the popular pieces of equipment many companies are buying into is the adjusting desk, which allows users to either sit or stand while working.

Thatcher says there are three important principles behind these types of desks.

“Firstly, people don’t just sit in one position all day. They rather become active users of their workspaces, adjusting from sitting to standing and vice versa.

“Secondly, that not all work needs to be done seated and can actually be enhanced by being in a different position, and thirdly, that people have different statures and having an adjustable desk enables people to find the optimal height for their work surface while reducing the chances of discomfort or injury.”

Very few ergonomics regulations are enforced through labour law and not all organisations are forced to abide by the regulations set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act or the Mine Safety Act, but there is a debate on certain draft ergonomics regulations which, if passed, would apply to all workplaces.

^{Image credit: iStock} 

When actress and tv/TV personality, Phumeza Mdabe’s son Mpilo was diagnosed with cancer, her world came to a standstill. “The word cancer never even crossed our minds,” she says.

‘It was hell watching our son go through so much pain’

Mpilo was born with abnormally dark pupils, but Phumeza and her husband, musician Mnqobi “Shota” Mdabe assumed his eye colour would change over time. As the months went by they realised Mpilo couldn’t see properly. Mpilo’s eyes became squint and his eyes would have a white glow whenever he was underneath light. By the time Mpilo was one, his sight had become even worse. “We never thought or wanted to imagine it was anything serious,” Phumeza says.

Read more: 5 Most Common Cancers… And How You Can Outsmart Them

They were referred to a specialist in December 2014, who diagnosed Mpilo with Bilateral Retinoblastoma – a cancer of the eye. By the end of December Mpilo had started his first cycle of chemo, and underwent bone marrow tests and several other tests to double check that the cancer had not spread. The tests showed that it was contained in his eyes. Doctors, however, were concerned that the cancer would eventually spread to his brain.

In January 2015, Mpilo had his first operation to have his right eye removed. “We had to learn about prosthetic eyes. The thought of having to take it out to clean it and put it back was horrifying,” Phumeza says. Mpilo also had a port inserted for chemo treatment as the nurse struggled to find a vein to put a drip in. “It was hell watching our son go through so much pain,” says Phumeza.

Mpilo now in remission

After six cyles of chemo, the cancer was still not responding to treatment. They were then referred to a specialist in Cape Town, where Mpilo would undergo radiation therapy. Despite numerous treatments, the cancer didn’t respond as the doctors expected. Phumeza and Shota had no choice but to have Mpilo’s left eye removed as the tumour would soon spread to his brain.

Read more: Doctors Thought This Teen Was Pregnant, But It Was Cancer

In October 2016, Mpilo was officially cleared and is now in remission. Phumeza says they feel incredibly blessed to still have Mpilo in their lives. “He’s very naughty and amazes us with his hearing. Looks like we have an upcoming musician on our hands,” jokes Pumeza.

Pumeza says the biggest lesson she learnt was not take anything for granted. “We need to pay more attention to our kids even if it looks like a small thing,” she explains. Phumeza is now an ambassador for CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation and will be travelling throughout the country during September to raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis of cancer.

^{This article originally appeared on www.womenshealthsa.co.za}

Megan Flemmit