The South African Libraries For The Blind Project will afford visually impaired people an opportunity to be able to read books and access information online with ease through the installation of computers designed specifically for visually impaired people.

Despite this new facility offering hope to visually impaired people, many blind people in rural areas remain unemployed with limited opportunities.

High unemployment among disabled

Speaking during the project activation at the Thulamela Public Library, in Thohoyandou, the director of library services in the province, Collins Thovhakale, said disabled people are still overlooked when they apply for employment. The result is a high rate of unemployment among the disabled. He said the project should be used to empower disabled people by offering them jobs.

“Disabled people in the province are not being considered for proper employment despite having good qualifications. Most of our libraries lack librarians yet we have so many people who are qualified for the job,” said Thovhakale.

“In most cases we only think of disabled people when we want to host events to celebrate their disabilities. But when it comes to serious issues like unemployment we do not consider them. People with disabilities must be employed in high numbers and they must be given first preference when they apply for jobs,” he said.

The spokesperson for the disabled people in Vhembe, Ndishavhelafhi Mphaphuli said most educated disabled people have proper qualifications, but they continue to sit at home without jobs.

Equal treatment essential

“We also need proper jobs as we have our own needs. But it seems like people are not prepared to hire us as we are only offered short term contracts which are not enough to sustain us. We have been complaining about this issue for years,” said Mphaphuli.

He added: “The only solution we can use to create jobs for ourselves is to start our own businesses as it seems like it’s the only way out of this situation which we find ourselves in.”

CEO of South African Library for the Blind, Francois Hendrikz, said that people with visual impairment should be treated the same as normal people.

“We all have the right to access information and this project gives that opportunity to blind people,” he said. – Health-e News.

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Ndivhuwo Mukwevho

Our increased appetite for TV and trans fats isn’t the only reason we’ve gained weight, according to a study in the International Journal of Obesity.

Here, Dr Wayne May gives other reasons our waistlines are expanding. Who knew?

1. Chronic stress

Stress can lead to relatively higher cortisol levels, which make you more prone to central weight gain – i.e. around the abdomen – with a resultant higher risk for blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol problems.

2. Medicine

Some meds can cause weight gain by either increasing appetite (usual mechanism) or slowing metabolism (unusual). Culprits include anti-depressants, antihistamines, diabetic meds, mood stabilisers and steroids.

Read more: ‘Help! I married a feeder – and he likes his women big…’

3. Plastic

Bisphenol-A (BPA) falls into a group of substances called endocrine-disrupting chemicals – found in our environment, food and consumer products – that interfere with metabolism. Studies have shown acute treatments with BPA cause high insulin levels, whereas longer-term exposure causes insulin resistance with chronically increased insulin levels. BPAs seem to increase fat-cell formation, but the extent to which they contribute to obesity is still unclear.

4. Older moms

Women who conceive later in life are more prone to gestational diabetes, and children born to these mothers will be more prone to obesity and diabetes (mere exposure to high glucose levels in pregnancy equals higher risk).

Read more: The best way to lose weight when you just love food too much

5. Contraception

It’s been shown that women who use the injection are more prone to weight gain. But no hard evidence supports the standard combo Pill resulting in similar gains.

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

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There’s nothing like the bond between a father and his daughter.

Hailee Stender donated her kidney to her father, John, who was diagnosed with stage four kidney failure and given just two years to live.

‘I feel so honoured’

After both surgeries, the harvesting and the transplant, were successfully completed in March, the two shared a teary-eyed embrace once they were reunited.

The 30-year-old, who’s John’s only biological child, didn’t think twice about donating her organ when she heard her dad’s health was deteriorating.

“No matter how much pain I was in I would have done it every single time,” Hailee recalled. “I saw how much better he looked because of it.

“I’m connected to my dad more than just by blood now. A part of me will always be with him.

“I feel so honoured I was able to help save his life.”

Officially a lifesaver

Her sister, AnaRosa – who was adopted in Ecuador when she was a newborn – documented the entire experience and thanked her sister for the “life-saving and selfless act”.

“Hailee knew at some point in her life she was going to get married and she wanted her father to walk her down the aisle,” says AnaRosa.

“She is the most selfless and admirable person I’ve ever known.

“She loves deeply and her willingness to donate a kidney speaks volumes about that. Hailie is officially a lifesaver.

“She saved our father’s life. For our family, this it’s truly life-changing.”

John, who’s said to be recovering well from his surgery, is being closely monitored by medics and sees his surgeons twice a week.

Hailee, who named the donated kidney Kevin, has had to alter her entire life after the operation, including adjusting her diet and workouts.

Both surgeries lasted a collective eight-and-a-half hours and specialists predicted a recovery time of up to six months.

Source: Magazine Features

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Magazine Features

Hymenoplasty. It’s a thing. And it’ll set you back by around R1 500 to R2 000. Here’s the low-down on the surgery, what exactly it entails and the two main reasons women are opting to put their bits under the knife…

Read more: ‘I had sex for the first time on my wedding night – this is what happened’

What Is hymenoplasty?

Hymeoplasty is essentially medical repair of the hymen.

“The hymen has a secondary layer that is sown up to cover the torn skin,” says obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Kim Sonntag.

As it grafts together once more, the hymen will appear intact. The procedure will take about 45 minutes and you’ll need to be put under anaesthetic. The recovery period is quite quick – about a week.

Read more: 6 things you might not understand about vaginas

Why women are doing it

In most cases, it’s for cultural or religious reasons, says Dr Natalia Novikova, a gynaecologist and endoscopic surgeon. In some cultures, having an intact hymen signifies chastity.

But hymenoplasty is also sometimes performed as part of a psychological healing process for women who’ve been raped or sexually abused.

Read more: 10 women share their favourite masturbation techniques

What you need to know

“Hymenoplasty is a relatively safe procedure that tends to carry few risks and side effects,” says Dr Novikova. As with any operation, there’s a small risk of infection and prolonged bleeding, as well as risks associated with anaesthetic. But complications from hymen repair are very rare.

Occasionally there can be over-correction, where the opening of the vagina becomes narrowed, making your next sexual encounter difficult. But this rarely causes problems in the long term.

“This procedure should only be done by a specialist with the correct experience and knowledge of the procedure,” says Dr Sonntag. “It’s still a fairly new procedure in South Africa and not offered widely. And remember: A woman’s hymen can still tear with the insertion of a tampon or during vigorous exercise.”

This article was originally published on  www.womenshealthsa.co.za

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Over the past few months reports have emerged from the US and UK, detailing the horrible flu epidemic they have just emerged from.

As South Africa faces the annual flu season, should we be on high alert, following the high number of deaths in these countries?

This particular strain of flu is called H3N2, and is a subtype of influenza A. It has been nicknamed the “Aussie flu”, even though it did not originate in Australia. The virus has in fact been around for a while, and continues to mutate.

Get vaccinated

Because of influenza A, healthcare professionals and authorities, like the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), are urging South Africans to get vaccinated against the flu.

Professor Cheryl Cohen, co-head of the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, told Health24 that flu strains are constantly updating themselves in order to avoid people’s immune response. She added that this year’s vaccine has been updated and is different to that of the US and the rest of the northern hemisphere, and they hope it will work well against the strains in South Africa.

“There are many factors which would determine if a flu season is severe or not. We need to look at the possible strains we might see in the season ahead along with strains we’ve seen in the past.

“We also need to look at the immunity in the population when looking at different strains. Many people might be immune to a certain strain or not; this can differ from place to place. Another factor is also any underlying conditions in the population – elderly people have a particularly high risk of contracting flu, along with those who have underlying illnesses such as heart diseases, lung diseases and HIV.

“All of these factors together determine whether the season is severe or not, but the message we’re giving to nurses and doctors is that they should be aware that there was a severe strain overseas last year and they should be looking out for flu in their patients.

“People who are at higher risk must go and get the vaccine, because there is still a possibility that it might be a severe season, but on the other hand, there’s no guarantee. It might just be a normal season, or even a mild season.

“Basically, the message is that we need to be aware; we need to monitor the situation, but there is no cause for panic. If the season is more severe, systems will kick in to deal with that.”

Travelling flu virus

Last month, the Stormers Super 15 rugby team struggled with planning because several players were down with the flu.

Coach Robbie Fleck mentioned that a few players had already been hit when they were away in New Zealand.

Prof Cohen added that flu is a highly seasonal disease. “It’s actually the most seasonal disease we know. In temperate countries like South Africa it really only circulates for a few months during the winter season. Outside of that time, we basically don’t see any flu at all, unless it’s in travellers who come from overseas.

“Because of this, there is a discontinuity in timing between the northern hemisphere flu season and the southern hemisphere flu season. Their winter is different to ours – they have their season during December to February and we have ours from April.”

Should you get the pneumonia vaccine too?

Pete Vincent, a doctor at Netcare Travel Clinics and Medicross Tokai, said that the vaccine is still the best protection against the flu, but some individuals should consider having a pneumonia vaccine as well.

Dr Vincent said that bacterial pneumonia can be very dangerous for anyone, but particularly in the case of high-risk individuals, such as the elderly, babies, small children, pregnant women and anyone else with a compromised immune system.

“Pneumonia is one of the most dangerous secondary infections and complications of an influenza infection, and is responsible for many deaths locally and around the world every year.

“While the decision to vaccinate against either flu, pneumonia or both, is a personal one, we recommend that people who are at higher risk consider both the influenza and the streptococcus bacteria vaccinations.

“Travellers to the northern hemisphere should also consider both vaccines, as there are many regions where flu is still prevalent,” Dr Vincent told Health24.

Why do you or do you not get vaccinated for flu? Will you consider getting vaccinated for pneumonia as well? Why or why not? Share your thoughts by emailing healthnews@health24.com and we may publish your story. Should you wish to remain anonymous, please let us know. 

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Stefni Herbert