SA highlights strong surveillance as new COVID variant spreads across Asia
This is according to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who addressed the 4th Health Working Group meeting of the Group of 20 (G20), which is underway in Johannesburg.
Motsoaledi said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated this 'a variant under monitoring' due to its growing presence.
India is the latest country to experience a surge in new COVID-19 cases due to the emergence of the new variant, NB.1.8.1.
According to the Independent, infections have been confirmed in several Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and China.
In addition, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency reported the first 13 cases of this variant in England last week.
'I wish to reassure this esteemed gathering that South Africa has robust surveillance systems in place.
'Our National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) manages a comprehensive sentinel surveillance programme that systematically tests for key respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV. Currently, our data show very low SARS-CoV-2 activity,' Motsoaledi explained.
South Africa is currently experiencing a seasonal rise in influenza, but the country is well-prepared to manage the situation, he said.
'Crucially, the new variant remains a descendant of the Omicron lineage. This means that current recommendations for updated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are still effective. Therefore, at this stage, no specific new public health actions are required from the public.'
Motsoaledi said government continues to promote good hygiene practices, including handwashing, covering coughs, and staying home when feeling unwell.
'These simple measures are effective in reducing the spread of all respiratory illnesses. We will continue to monitor the situation closely through our established networks and will report any significant changes.'
Meanwhile, he called on the attendees of the meeting to work together with 'renewed urgency and unwavering resolve'.
'Let us build a future where solidarity, equity, and cooperation are the cornerstones of our global health architecture.'
The week-long Health Working Group meeting began on Tuesday and will conclude on Friday.
It brings together health leaders, experts, and policymakers from the world's largest economies, invited nations, and international organisations.
The plenary sessions will build on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and address ongoing barriers to accessing countermeasures, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
There will be a focus on prioritising the expansion of local and regional manufacturing capacity, especially in regions like Africa.
Delegates will also explore opportunities for technology transfer, sustainable financing, and regulatory alignment to ensure timely and equitable access to life-saving tools during health emergencies. – SAnews.gov.za
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
15 hours ago
- eNCA
US ends case against doctor over alleged Covid vaccine scheme
USA - US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Saturday she had ordered charges to be dropped against a doctor accused of destroying Covid-19 jabs and issuing fake vaccination certificates. The abrupt halt to proceedings comes just days after the trial commenced, and is the latest boost to the vaccine-skeptic movement from President Donald Trump's administration. Michael Kirk Moore, a plastic surgeon in the western state of Utah, was charged by the Department of Justice in 2023 alongside his clinic and three others for "running a scheme" to defraud the government. He was accused of destroying or disposing of over $28,000 worth of government-provided Covid vaccines and handing out at least 1,937 false vaccine record cards in exchange for payment. Moore, who faced decades behind bars, was also accused of administering a saline solution to children - at the behest of their parents - so that they would think they had been vaccinated against Covid. Moore's trial began this week at a federal court in Salt Lake City. But on Tuesday, Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump's most vocal hard-right supporters, said she had written to Bondi calling for charges against Moore to be dropped. "Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so. He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today," Bondi wrote on X. Bondi's decision also notably comes as she faces fire from right-wing activists over her handling of a probe into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. She thanked Greene and Utah Senator Mike Lee, another hard-right lawmaker, for their advocacy for dropping charges against Moore. The Covid-19 pandemic sparked fierce political division in the US between those who supported lockdowns and vaccination drives, and those who considered the measures as restrictions on freedom. Trump, himself vaccinated against Covid-19, has appointed as his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has initiated an overhaul of American vaccine policy. Kennedy said Moore "deserves a medal for his courage and commitment to healing," in an X post in April. At the end of May, Kennedy announced that federal authorities would no longer recommend Covid-19 jabs for children and pregnant women, prompting accusations from medical groups that he was taking away parents' ability to opt for vaccinations.
The Citizen
16 hours ago
- The Citizen
Will forcing MPs to use public healthcare make it better?
If somebody important gets rushed into a government hospital, throwing somebody out of ICU to make way for them wouldn't be an issue. Another day, and yet another suggestion from ActionSA that public officials should be forced to use public services, as if that will somehow make those services better. If it's not public officials being forced to use public transport, it's that they must send their kids to public schools. The latest from the Herman Mashaba camp is that public servants should use public healthcare services. One can nearly hear the internal laughter of Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at the idea (one that he has publicly supported). Presumably, he has no problem supporting it, given that he's doubling down on the National Health Insurance (NHI). It would be pretty silly to advocate for the eventual blending of private and public healthcare, but demand that his ilk continue to be allowed to use private healthcare. Perhaps that was the strategy of ActionSA all along: getting Motsoaledi to admit a personal lust toward private healthcare. If that was the reason, it's gone down as well as a quirky Helen Zille tweet. ALSO READ: Bara hospital: The good, bad and ugly However, the actual idea of forcing public officials to use public services to create some sort of political investment incentive is not just stupid, it's divorced from any South African context. Maybe that would work in a country where there's some sort of honour, even if it's among thieves, but this is South Africa. This is the country where we dare not even introduce self-service checkouts at grocers because we know how disastrous that would be. So not only do we have to embrace the imposed moniker of 'Plastique?' but we also have to accept that for the right people, the public purse will get them anything from a fire pool to a trip to the Cannes Film Festival. How is it that despite the Department of Health never having any money, there are still so many awesome doctors in public hospitals? There may be no medicine for the plebeians, but the lights are still on, and if somebody important or a friend of a friend gets rushed in, throwing somebody out of the ICU to make way for them wouldn't be an issue. The problem has never been that we don't have the facilities to deal with sick people. The problem has always been that we don't have enough facilities to deal with all the sick people who are not politically important. ALSO READ: 'I could die before surgery': Cancer patient lost in Gauteng hospitals backlog I don't think Motsoaledi cares which hospital he ends up in. He could be in a rural clinic in Limpopo, but if they had to fly in the best medical team and equipment, best believe they'll do it. Whether they'd do that for Sam Nje is less likely. You're dealing with a class of people who can walk into any school and bump their kids straight into the classroom on the day school starts, while the rest of us have to apply in utero just to get on the waiting list. This is why forcing them to use public services is hardly going to make the public services any better. Remember that strange aunty in your family? The one whose house had a great lounge that nobody was allowed in because it had to be preserved in case the Queen, Nelson Mandela and the Pope decided to come visit — simultaneously. That's all you'll create when you force public servants to use public services: the white elephant room that will remain vacant in case the deputy minister of transport gets hit by a taxi nearby. It's a sad state of affairs that one feels the need to incentivise public servants to serve the public. It's an even sadder state of affairs when trying to create those incentives is a losing battle. Maybe the answer should be to appoint public servants who are enthusiastic about public service in the first place. I wonder if they thought about that. NOW READ: Tshwane mayor faces outrage for Weskoppies Hospital power cut
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Opening hearts and homes: A guide to adopting in South Africa
Some parents-to-be can opt to adopt children, not because of pregnancy issues but because they are consciously extending a hand in providing love and care for children in need. Children have a right to protection against violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Reportedly, between April 2010 and March 2024, the Department of Social Development recorded 16 593 national adoptions within South Africa. The Department of Social Development (DSD) advises South Africans that they have alternative options when they cannot look after their children. Lumka Oliphant, spokesperson of the DSD explained, 'Adoption which is viewed as the most permanent placement option for children who are orphaned and vulnerable, remains under-utilised in South Africa and this leaves children for whom there is no immediate alternative care within their extended families, exceptionally vulnerable to the long-term effects of institutionalisation.' Also read:Giving children a sense of belonging through adoption Furthermore, 'Currently, South Africa has children who are orphaned due to various reasons like violent crime, gender-based violence, HIV/Aids and the Covid-19. On the other hand, some children are abandoned due to the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and unwanted pregnancy.' She concluded that although adoption is a person's or a family's choice, it is important to promote adoption services and recruit prospective adoptive parents within the country. Applying for national adoption Only South African citizens residing in South Africa can apply, and must want to adopt a South African child. 1. Go to any adoption agency in any province of your choice to apply. 2. The adoption agency will conduct a screening/ home study to check if you are fit and proper to adopt a child. 3. If the agency is satisfied with the results, they will put you on a Register of Adoptable Children and Adoptive Parents while they help you search for a child who is available for adoption. 4. If a child is available, they will call you to the offices to meet the child and ask you if you are interested in adopting the child. 5. If you agree, they will send your report to the Children's Court to finalise the adoption and issue an adoption order. 6. The Court report will be sent to the Department of Social Development so they can check if correct procedure was followed and to record both your and the child's details. Also read: Ways to teach your child to accept all families The duration of the process differs from one case to another. And the cost will depend on the agency used. Abba Specialist Adoption & Social Services (Abba) is a non-profit organisation founded in 1983. They are a designated child protection organisation with adoption accreditation for national and inter-country adoptions. They provide a range of direct services to abandoned, neglected, orphaned, and vulnerable children who appear to be in need of permanent alternative family care. On the matter of the duration of the adoption process, Abba indicates, 'The screening process is not only establishing whether a prospective adoptive parent is fit and proper but is also a preparation process to ensure that parents are ready for the challenges of adoption and equipped to deal with them. At Abba, this process normally takes between 4-6 months. 'The waiting period for a child is closely related to the profile of the child that parents have applied for. There are, for instance, more black children available for adoption than children of other races, which can increase the waiting time for a baby.' The DSD encourages citizens to use the opportunity to adopt, and make a lasting difference in children's lives. All forms are available at your nearest Department of Social Development offices. For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
