South Africa Health FactsKnow where to find reliable health resources
Are you looking for reliable South Africa Health Facts? Then you should check out the resources I mention here.
For specific information on the health issues and medical care in Cape Town please go to the
Cape Town health page
in my guide.
Swine Flu in South AfricaIf you are living here you will have noticed that some of the health info we get here are rather sketchy and negative news become quite panicky at times.
The swine flu is in the headlines in South Africa now too, as there are several persons in quarantine, some schools are closed and one student of the Stellenbosch University has died of pneumonia, he developed from the swine flu. Swine flu is not airborne but transmitted through droplet contact (being sneezed and coughed at), so it might be not more infectious than a normal flu. However there is evidence that not only small children and older or frail people are more at risk, but also teenagers and pregnant women. The normal seasonal influenza is present in South Africa as in many other places around the world. As the World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic alert was put up to level 6 out of 6 on the 11 of june, which means the disease spreads faster and reaches many countries at the same time on all continents, also the Capetonians get nervous now too. So I went to check out the WHO website and several other information resources: South Africa Health ResourcesThe South African Department of Health has got some insights into the state of the South African health system on their website.However most of the information, facts and statistics seem to be older. So is the most recent statistic already 6 years old: The South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) 2003 One excellent resource which compiles lots of reliable information is the World Health Organization (WHO) website with excellent background info and the site is user-friendly as it is easy to look for relevant info. There are updates and country information on South Africa with loads of South Africa health facts, although the disease outbreak info on this page does not seem to be up to date.
Swine Influenza ResourcesFor info about Swine influenza read the WHO swine flu questions and answer section. Relating to Swine flu there are other good resources too:The US Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention has got good advice and a swine flu fact guide on their website which are of great use for American expats in South Africa too. For German expats and those of you who speak German, there is good information on the website of the
Robert Koch Institut.
Regarding Swine Flu follow the updates and take your precautions, like good hygiene and wash your hands frequently! Keep well!
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