The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign is a United Nations campaign which is held annually from 25th November (International Day for No Violence Against Women) to 10th December (International Human Rights Day). The theme for 2023 is: “Accelerating actions to end gender-based violence & femicide: leaving no one behind”. The sub-theme […]
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed on 10th September every year as a way of focusing attention on the problems of suicide worldwide and to express commitment and action to prevent suicides. WSPD was first launched in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention, with the endorsement of the World Health Organization (WHO). It promotes understanding […]
July 25th was marked as Drowning Prevention Day by the UN General Assembly in 2021 to bring attention to a plight that is ultimately preventable. Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) drowning prevention director Mziwoxolo Mayedwa reports that about 1 500 people, mostly youth, drown every year in this country — an average of four individuals per day.1 This number […]
Many of us may be unfamiliar with the Marrakesh Treaty, which seeks to ‘Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled’. It is an international legal instrument which makes it easier for blind, visually impaired and print disabled people to access works protected by copyright. Family Digest 56 – The […]
The 11th South African AIDS Conference took place from 20th to 23rd June at the Durban ICC, with the theme of “Act, Connect and End the Epidemic”. The conference brief reads that “Now, more than ever before, we need to act to end an epidemic that has been a part of our lives for decades. We hope […]
Each year World Tuberculosis Day (TB) is commemorated on 24th March to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of the disease, and to increase efforts to end the global epidemic. Family Digest 54 – World Tuberculosis Day by Lois Law
Cancer is a public health issue of major concern. According to the Department of Health (DoH), cancer is the second leading cause of death, globally. It is a non-communicable disease which is caused by abnormal cells dividing uncontrollably and, in so doing, destroying body tissue and resulting in tumours. “Cancerous tumours spread into, or invade, […]
Late in December 2022, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced that South Africa was experiencing measles outbreaks as a result of low vaccine coverage. Over 300 cases had been reported. Limpopo recorded the first few cases at the beginning of October 2022, with further cases being reported in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and […]
