October 6, 11:57CGTN

MSF warns of Ebola outbreak surge in North Kivu province of DRC

The medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) issued a warning on Monday about a sharp increase in Ebola infection cases in the eastern province of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, urgently calling on authorities to expand treatment capabilities.

The country declared its seventeenth Ebola outbreak in mid-May, several weeks after the epidemic began. This highly lethal disease has claimed over 15,000 lives in Africa over the past five decades.

As of October 2, the World Health Organization registered 8,463 cases and 4,082 deaths since the emergence of the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.

The outbreak started in the northeastern province of Ituri before spreading to seven provinces. The provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and Haut-Uele recorded the highest share of cases.

MSF reported that the number of infections in North Kivu has sharply increased since September, and this province now accounts for almost 40% of all newly confirmed cases nationwide. Stephanie Hoffmann, coordinator of the MSF Ebola treatment center in Butembo, near the border with Uganda, compared the situation to 'fighting a mega-fire.'

The humanitarian organization noted that treatment capacities in North Kivu have reached their limit as new outbreaks regularly emerge, and existing facilities cannot cope with the increased demand.

MSF emphasized: 'Since new outbreaks occur every week, treatment capacities remain largely insufficient and inadequate. This situation puts both current patients and entire communities at even greater risk.'

According to MSF, on September 28, 34% of confirmed Ebola patients in North Kivu were treated in non-specialized medical facilities due to limited bed capacity in specialized treatment centers and diagnostic delays. MSF warned that many of these facilities do not possess the necessary resources and experience to manage Ebola cases, increasing the risk of transmission among patients and healthcare workers.

Hoffmann added that 'due to the lack of available beds, we are sometimes forced to transfer confirmed Ebola patients elsewhere, despite the significant risk this poses to the wider community.'

Furthermore, MSF highlighted the importance of building trust with local communities, some of which remain wary of Ebola treatment centers. Hoffmann reported that over 60% of Ebola-related deaths continue to occur within the communities themselves.

She concluded: 'Patients must be ready to seek help promptly and take isolation measures. Without this trust, we risk seeing more deaths and further spread of the disease into neighboring areas.'

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foodformzansi.co.zaOctober 7, 08:00

Investment of $14 million strengthens livestock disease surveillance system in South Africa

An investment of $14 million provided by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), which is part of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), is aimed at developing the Molecular Rapid Response and Biosurveillance Programme. This programme enhances South Africa's capacity to detect and combat livestock diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza, which negatively affect the country's agricultural sector and exports.

TokaBio addresses issues related to avian influenza affecting the ostrich industry and operates a mobile laboratory in Modimolle, Limpopo province. Additionally, it has a laboratory in KwaZulu-Natal specializing in foot-and-mouth disease.

The CEO of TIA, Dr. Titus Mathe, highlighted the reasons for the decline in South Africa's agricultural sector and the challenges associated with exporting to international markets. He stated that the South African economy cannot sustain continuous loss of foreign markets due to recurring outbreaks of livestock diseases. According to him, maintaining the country's agricultural sector, protecting jobs, and sustaining global competitiveness heavily depend on accelerating innovation.

Dr. Mathe noted that TIA's investment in TokaBio serves as an example of how public funding for technology can go beyond research and development to provide practical solutions for real-world conditions. Rapid and accurate detection of livestock diseases is critical for protecting farmers, strengthening biosecurity, and maintaining the competitiveness of South African agricultural products in global markets.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the South African economy, contributing to employment, food security, farming, and economic activity across the entire value chain. However, outbreaks of livestock diseases can disrupt production, restrict animal movement, and cause temporary or long-term restrictions on the export of livestock and animal products.

The Molecular Rapid Response and Biosurveillance Programme aims to address this issue by improving the country's ability to conduct rapid, accurate, and geographically targeted disease surveillance. The programme focuses on protecting beef trade by enhancing foot-and-mouth disease surveillance in affected areas, and it supports structures like compartmentalization so that trade can continue safely.

For the ostrich industry, TokaBio has already begun implementing an avian influenza biosurveillance programme, creating a potential model for broader livestock disease monitoring and rapid response services. Lois Tyra, Chairman of the TIA Board, reported that as an implementing agency supporting the DSTI Bioeconomy Strategy, TIA invests in technologies that utilize South Africa's biological resources to solve problems in food security, agriculture, health, and economic development.

He added that the investment in the Molecular Rapid Response and Biosurveillance Programme demonstrates how funding can help transition biotechnological innovations from the R&D stage to commercial implementation and practical impact in agriculture.

Meanwhile, Dr. Fiyani Leboe, Chief Scientist at TokaBio, emphasized that the sustainability of commercial farming, the rural economy, and the entire agricultural value chain is crucial, as it depends on the country's access to international export markets. He also explained what this programme will do and how it aims to control disease outbreaks, ensuring that involved industries do not lose market access.

According to him, the Molecular Rapid Response and Biosurveillance Programme seeks to prevent automatic loss of market access due to disease outbreaks by strengthening the country's ability to detect, contain, track, and demonstrate control over livestock diseases.

iol.co.zaOctober 7, 06:50

Cardiovascular diseases are the cause of death for almost 20% of the population in South Africa

According to the latest mortality data published by Statistics South Africa, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 17.8% of the total registered deaths in South Africa in 2024, becoming the leading cause of death in the country.

These figures align with trends from the previous decade, as between 2014 and 2024, cardiovascular diseases averaged 17.9% of all deaths. The data was presented as part of Heart Month, which is observed annually in South Africa in September and concludes with World Heart Day on September 29.

In 2024, cardiovascular diseases led to the death of almost one in six registered residents of South Africa. The risk of developing these diseases increases significantly with age and shows noticeable differences between men and women.

The agency noted that the figures reflect an important picture of the factors influencing mortality in South Africa. Previously, the country's mortality profile was dominated by non-communicable diseases (chronic illnesses) from 1997 to 2002, after which infectious diseases took over during a period of increased HIV-related mortality.

Of the 474,366 deaths registered by the Department of Home Affairs in 2024, more than 60% were related to chronic diseases, the highest proportion since 1997.

Men get sick earlier

Chronic diseases dominated the country's mortality profile until 2002, before infectious diseases took over during the surge in HIV-related deaths. However, chronic diseases regained their lead in 2010 and have maintained it since.

The burden of cardiovascular diseases varies significantly depending on sex and age. Mortality in men sharply accelerated after the age of 40 and peaked among those aged 65 to 69, when 5,176 deaths were recorded in 2024.

Mortality in women remained lower than in men until the 65–69 age group, where 5,015 deaths were recorded. Then the situation changed: from the age of 70, cardiovascular mortality among women exceeded that among men, peaking at 5,903 cases among women aged 80 to 84.

Hypertensive and cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, have consistently been among the top ten causes of death in South Africa over the last decade. Hypertensive diseases accounted for 5.5% of all registered deaths in 2024, and cerebrovascular diseases accounted for 5.4%. They ranked second and third, respectively, among individual leading causes of death, behind diabetes, which accounted for 6.1%.

Place of residence matters

Women also bore a greater burden from both hypertensive and cerebrovascular diseases. In 2024, hypertensive diseases accounted for 7.1% of all deaths among women compared to 4.1% among men. Cerebrovascular diseases accounted for 6.4% of female deaths and 4.5% of male deaths.

The leading cause of cardiovascular mortality also varied across the country. Hypertensive diseases were the main cause of cardiovascular mortality in six provinces: Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State, and Northern Cape. In three coastal provinces—Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal—cerebrovascular diseases were the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality.

All data presented is based on registered deaths for 2024 and was published by Statistics South Africa as part of its latest analysis of mortality and causes of death.