South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Historical Article
Malaria control in South Africa - challenges and successes.
Control measures have substantially reduced the historical distribution of malaria in South Africa; the country's population currently at risk for contracting malaria is approximately 4.3 million, predominantly in the northern and eastern border areas. The major strategies for malaria control are vector control through indoor residual spraying, case management, disease surveillance, epidemic preparedness and response, and public awareness. There has been a significant and sustained decrease in malaria case notifications since 2000, as a result of intensive indoor residual spraying including the use of DDT to combat insecticide-resistant Anopheles funestus; the introduction of artemisinin combination therapy; and the Lebombo Spatial Initiative, a cross-border collaboration targeting malaria in eastern Swaziland, southern Mozambique and northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). ⋯ HIV-malaria co-infected patients who are malaria non-immune are at risk for severe malaria. Renal failure has been identified as a particular complication in this group of patients. Despite successes in malaria control in South Africa, many challenges remain.
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Editorial Biography Historical Article
Professor H J Koornhof - a tribute and an appreciation.
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To audit indications for and practice (in terms of training/qualification) of definitive airway management compared with current UK practices. ⋯ The most common indication for intubation was a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of less than 8, typically in the polytrauma patient with suspected head injury due to MVA. Emergency doctors managed 100% of definitive airway in-hospital, and RSI was the favoured method. This differs greatly from the UK where non-anaesthetists only perform between 31% and 56% of trauma intubations, with the rest performed by anaesthetists. Outcome was, however, similar to that described in the literature.