New model for rehabilitation of people living with HIV

UKZN in collaboration with the SAMRC and Wits University has developed a model of care to improve rehabilitation services for people living with HIV in resource-limited settings. The study assessed the degree and impact of functional limitations/disability in people living with HIV using long term ART. Please...
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Innovative health care provision in low & middle income countries

Addressing healthcare needs of populations in rural and under-resourced settings presents numerous challenges. A model is being piloted in KwaZulu-Natal in which outreach teams comprising community health workers deliver PHC services at the household level. This study will identify perceived successes and shortcomings in this model to inform future practice.   To read full article written...
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Is VAT on essential medicines costing public healthcare?

All medicines in South Africa, including those identified as essential, are subjected to 15% value-added tax (VAT). This may be hampering healthcare efforts, considering the therapeutic value of certain medicines in the private healthcare sector. High medicine prices in the private sector are a result of mark-ups in the supply chain. One of these mark-ups is government-imposed VAT.   To...
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Overcoming avoidable blindness through training in vision care

Optometric services are a key resource for addressing the challenge of avoidable visual impairment affecting rural communities. However, the majority of optometrists are located in urban areas, limiting accessibility to eye health and vision care services for disadvantaged populations. A decentralized training model at UKZN promises to change this. To read the full article written by Dr Diane...
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HOME-BASED EXERCISE ADDS LIFE TO YEARS LIVED WITH HIV

UKZN and Wits University researchers have found that community workers in KwaZulu-Natal can safely teach people living with HIV how to exercise in their own homes. This can improve quality of life and physical function, and may also save money in the public health sector. To read the full article written by DRILL fellow Dr Saul Cobbing, click here. Please...
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Death in the fold – new light on Parkinson’s Disease

Protein misfolding and clump formation are common features of many diseases of the brain, including Parkinson’s Disease. Understanding what causes protein misfolding will help us in finding methods for early detection and treatment. To read the full article written by DRILL fellow Dr Thabisile Mpofana, click here. Please...
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A little love a day can keep the doctor away!

Researchers at UKZN are showing how a little bit of love can reduce the long-term impact of maternal stress on toddlers. We report on how early-life stress enhances the paediatric disorder known as febrile seizures. To read the full article written by DRILL fellow Dr Lihle Qulu, click here.   Please...
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Steps towards an HIV vaccine – B cells and antibodies

B cells are white blood cells, which can make specific proteins (known as antibodies) to fight a virus. Neutralizing antibodies are like soldiers- they can very effectively prevent invasion of a cell by a virus.   To download and read Dr Jacobus Hendrick’s article, click here. Please...
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Know your status and your risk of clotting

Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in people living with HIV in developing countries. Monitoring the risk of blood clotting may save lives by preventing strokes and heart attacks and contributing to knowledge to improve healthcare. To read and download Dr Bongani Nkambule’s article please click here. Please...
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UKZN Announces Names of First Nine DRILL Fellows

UKZN’s College of Health Sciences (CHS) has announced its first cohort of nine Fellows under the auspices of Developing Research Innovation, Localisation and Leadership in South Africa (DRILL). The project is receiving funding of R45 million over a five-year period from the United States Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant, awarded in 2015, funds...
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Research Excellence the Priority for College of Health Sciences DRILL Leadership Team

The Developing Research Innovation, Localisation and Leadership in South Africa (DRILL) leadership team at UKZN’s College of Health Sciences (CHS) has been awarded a competitive US National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center (NIH/FIC) grant. DRILL’s programme seeks to produce and retain the next generation of highly skilled, local health science researchers equipped with the...
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In the Press

Is the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science? It is an industry like no other, with profit margins to rival Google – and it was created by one of Britain’s most notorious tycoons: Robert Maxwell. By Stephen Buranyi To read article please click here.   Patience for patients Researchers find that perseverance and an altruistic streak keep them going along...
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