WeeklySA_AdminALERT: Health Department worried over steadily rising influenza cases across the country…
By Lehlohonolo Lehana
The National Department of Health is concerned about the rise of flu cases across the country since the beginning of May.
The department was notified by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the increasing circulation of influenza around the country.
“The increase in case numbers has been identified in six provinces – KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and North West – where surveillance is conducted,” says Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale.
“Although the majority of people with influenza will present with mild illness, influenza may cause severe illness, which may require hospitalisation or cause death, especially in individuals who are at risk of getting severe influenza illness or complications.
“People at increased risk of severe health complications of influenza include pregnant women, people living with conditions like HIV and other chronic illnesses or conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, tuberculosis, heart disease, renal disease and obesity, the elderly (65 years and older) and children younger than 2 years old.
“The most common symptoms include fever, muscle pains and body aches, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, feeling tired or unwell and headache.”
Mohale says getting vaccinated against influenza is the best way to prevent infection.
“While the influenza vaccine should be administered at least before the influenza season (March to April), even if the season has already started, it is never too late to get vaccinated,” says Mohale.
“People who are infected with influenza can prevent spread by covering their mouth when coughing with a tissue or cough into the elbow; wearing a mask, washing their hands frequently with soap and water or cleaning hands using an alcohol-based sanitiser; or staying at home and trying to keep a distance from others.”
Flu vaccine remains the primary means for preventing seasonal influenza infection, and should be administered at least before the influenza season (March to April). However, even if the season has already started, it is never too late to get vaccinated, especially individuals who are high risk of severe influenza illness or complications.
CANCER ON THE RISE IN SA
MORBIDITY: With National Cancer Survivors’ Day coming up this Sunday, deaths from the disease expected to double by 2030…
By Thuli Zungu
Cancer is a growing national health and socio-economic concern in South Africa. The high cancer death-rate and the significant morbidity experienced by cancer survivors are issues that call for urgent national prioritisation.
Dr Dion Kapp, of Managed Healthcare and Providers at Bestmed Medical Scheme, says predictions were that the incidence of cancer could nearly double by 2030, from 62 000 cancer-related deaths in 2019 to 121 000 in the next seven years, based on existing mortality trends. The numbers were being impacted by an ageing and growing population.
Kapp says many of the cancer deaths recorded globally could have been prevented through immunisation, changes in lifestyle, early detection as well as timely treatment, thereby relieving unnecessary suffering.
“While multiple initiatives have been put in place over the last two decades to decrease the risk of certain cancers, the beneficial effects will take time to manifest and will impact initially on incidence rates, and only later on mortality rates,” says Kapp.
“Breast and prostate cancer remain the most dominant types of cancers in South Africa, which is not new in the oncology space. But we are seeing comparatively higher numbers for this period, indicating that many of these incidences could have been detected two years ago,” says Kapp, adding that more frequent screening tests give people a better chance of being diagnosed earlier, and making treatment more effective.
Kapp says: “The oncology landscape in South Africa has shifted considerably in the past four years, with the pandemic playing a central role in rising cancer cases recorded since the pandemic began”.
He says, while the latest figures show Covid-19 infection rates in SA had tapered off in 2023 in comparison to previous years, the pandemic and cancer incidences, along with the evolution of cancer research and treatment, remain intrinsically linked. “Bestmed recorded a steep increase in cancer incidences between 2020 and 2022. The reason for this is not an increase in screenings as you might expect, or any known direct correlation between the Covid-19 virus and cancer. Rather, it’s the knock-on effect of Covid-19, especially during hard lockdown when people avoided visiting hospitals or pathologists for fear of contracting the virus. This contributed to the high incidence rate we’ve been seeing,” says Dr Kapp.
Dr Kapp says these predictions align with internal data collected by Bestmed Medical Scheme, which showed steep increases across all predominant types of cancer between 2020 and 2022 – breast cancer cases increased by 35% and prostate cancer cases increased by 45%.
“Breast and prostate cancer remain the most dominant types of cancers in South Africa, which is not new in the oncology space. But we are seeing comparatively higher numbers for this period, indicating that many of these incidences could have been detected two years ago,” he says, adding that more frequent screening tests give people a better chance of being diagnosed earlier, and making treatment more effective.
Radiology-related claims had also increased, with advanced radiology such as MRI, CT scans and nuclear medicine used to monitor and diagnose cancer increasing by 19% in 2022, compared to pre-pandemic periods.
“The drivers for the rise in cancer treatment and costs can be attributed to advanced-stage cancer diagnoses, again as a result of a lack of preventative screening taking place in the last three to four years and also patients not going for follow-up consultations,” adds Kapp. “Later diagnoses often result in the prescription of more novel medicines to treat cancers more aggressively, which are more expensive.”
