Gender inequalities in morbidity : a South African investigation

International studies of gender differences in health status largely attest that women have worse health conditions than men, which compromise women’s contribution to economic development. Using the South African Demographic and Health Survey of 2003, we investigate whether this disparity also holds in developing countries such as South Africa. Our results concur with previous findings that South African women are more likely to suffer from poor health than men. They also reveal that the health gap is largely driven by a relatively higher prevalence of health conditions among women, rather than by the severity of the conditions that they face. Furthermore, contrary to the common view that the health gap closes with age, we find that the gap exhibits little variation across age groups and it persists in old age. This suggests a need for preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of health conditions in South Africa – which is vital for economic development.http://www.scimagojr.comam2017School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Length of stay and contributing factors in elderly patients who have undergone hip fracture surgery in a tertiary hospital in South Africa

BAKGROUND : Length of stay and factors that contribute to length of stay in elderly patients who have undergone hip fracture surgery is under researched in developing countries, including South Africa. The purpose of this study was to describe the factors that increase length of stay (LOS) among elderly patients who have had hip fracture surgery. METHODS : A retrospective review of patient records of elderly (>65 years) patients who had hip fracture surgery in a public hospital in South Africa. Descriptive statistics were used to report demographic data, LOS and frequency distributions of individual factors relating to LOS. Two sample t-tests were used to compare the LOS in patients with and without main complications reported. RESULTS : The mean total length of stay was 33 (19) days. Patients presented with numerous comorbidities, with hypertension (n = 93) being the most prevalent. The most frequently occurring complications included anaemia (n = 42) and wound infection (n = 21). The LOS was significantly lower for patients not presenting with wound infections compared to those who sustained a wound infection (p = 0.041). Social factors delayed departure from the hospital for 48 patients. CONCLUSION : Elderly patients who had hip fracture surgery and developed wound infections had an increased LOS. However social issues also contributed to the increase in length of stay that could be addressed by proper planning and involvement of families and care givers. The factors identified could be used as a starting point for planning services aimed at decreasing the hospital stay of elderly patients.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/ijotn2020-12-09hj2020Nursing Scienc