Help Africa breathe – Siza iAfrika iphefumule
Lung and respiratory disease in children and adult is a major cause of death, disability and morbidity in Africa. The most common illnesses are:
• Infections like pneumonia and TB)
• NCDs like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). TB remains the #1 killer disease in South Africa.
Why Durban?
Two professional groups, that focus on these illnesses, held a joint congress in Durban during April: PATS (Pan African Thoracic Society) and South African Thoracic Society. So, this was the perfect opportunity to discuss the challenges and to improve collaboration for lung health in Africa by strengthening initiatives to improve care, build capacity with research, training and advocacy.
IMPALA research programme for African lung health.
After the congress, 14 partners from 11 African countries continued with a series of education and advocacy events for the IMPALA programme (International Multidisciplinary Programme to Address Lung Health and TB in Africa). This 4-year research collaboration is funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research which established an Africa-focused Global Health Research Unit on Lung Health and TB the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). It will generate scientific knowledge and implementable solutions for these high burdens, under-funded and under-researched health problems.
Spirometry training in Durban
PATS promotes training to strengthen respiratory health across Africa. So, the 
Durban event was the perfect time to launch its PATS / IMPALA international standard foundational spirometry training programme. It is available for Africans working in any setting. In 2017 the first courses were piloted in Uganda and Ethiopia.
The training programme lasts at least 2 months with 3 parts:
• Online self-study, the training materials are available for free online here
• Training workshop 3 days of face-to-face training
• Completion of a portfolio of evidence workbook.
Contact [email protected] for training enquiries.
313 Durban people screened for lung health
Alongside the IMPALA meeting, Health Lungs for Life seven-day-long free respiratory screening events were in and around of Durban. Free spirometry testing was provided to 313 people. The data was added to the Paediatric and Adult Spirometry Study which collects lung function information for healthy South Africans for much needed local reference values. These events were funded and supported by the PATS Spirometry program.
Spirometry equipment donates
10 IMPALA partners from Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda were presented with ERS / ELF donated spirometry equipment to take back with them for use in their research clinics. Lindsay Zurba, of Spirometry Training Services Africa, said, “This equipment is essential to diagnose asthma, COPD and other conditions that affect breathing. The loaning of this equipment by PATS and LSTM to these in-country partners will have a hugely positive impact on the research and the treatment received by those that visit their clinics.”
May 1: Today is the 20th annual World Asthma Day, an event held each May to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide. World Asthma Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, or GINA (www.ginasthma.org), a World Health Organization collaborative and 501(c)3 organization founded in 1993.
According to WHO estimates, 235 million people suffer from asthma, which can cause wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to control asthma to reduce and prevent asthma attacks, also called episodes.1 In the United States, approximately half of people with asthma had at least one asthma attack in 2012. More children (55%) than adults (49%) had an attack.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries: it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occurs in low and lower-middle income countries. Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated, creating a substantial burden to individuals and families and possibly restricting individuals’ activities for a lifetime.
Asthma attacks cause adults to miss work and children to miss school. These dangerous and sometimes life-threatening episodes reduce the quality of life for people with asthma. The good news is that we can raise awareness about asthma and how it can be controlled. People with asthma can prevent asthma attacks if they learn how to avoid asthma triggers like tobacco smoke, mold, outdoor air pollution, and colds and flu. Asthma episodes can also be prevented by using inhaled corticosteroids and other prescribed daily long-term control medicines correctly.
This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “NEVER TOO EARLY, NEVER TOO LATE. It’s always the right time to address airways disease.”” The theme provides a call to action for both patients and healthcare providers worldwide to evaluate symptoms regardless of the timepoint in one’s life they may occur and take actions to ensure that the asthma is controlled.
World Asthma Day was first held in 1998, and has grown each year to become one of the most important Asthma events globally. On World Asthma Day, hundreds of awareness-raising activities will take place in countries all over the world. Further information about GINA and World Asthma Day can be found at GINA’s website: www.ginasthma.org. Documents detailing GINA’s global strategy for diagnosis, management, and prevention of COPD are also available at www.ginasthma.org.
After months of painstaking work, the result of the South African Civil Society NCDs Benchmarking exercise is out for your comment. While every effort has been taken to ensure that this draft is correct and supported by documentary evidence and other input, we apologise in advance for any errors.
We sincerely ask for your input to ensure it is as accurate as possible. Written input using the item number concerned is most welcome.
Click here to download The attached draft copy of the SA Civil Society NCDs Benchmarking Exercise for your constructive comment and correction by 11 November 2014.
This NCD Benchmarking Exercise aims to assess the national capacity for responding to NCDs – from a civil society perspective.
It is framed to complement national reporting processes on NCDs, as well as WHO monitoring on NCDs.
It includes elements of the NCD national response/capacity that are not reflected in official government/WHO reporting, such as elements that relate to civil society organization engagement and capacity.
The benchmarking tool was developed in consultation with an expert working group of the NCD Alliance.
It is piloted as part of the NCD Alliance programme “Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD Action” in Brazil, the Caribbean Community and South Africa.
The programme is funded by a generous grant from Medtronic Philanthropy.
Please return comments to Vicki Pinkney-Atkinson
After months of painstaking work, the result of the South African Civil Society NCDs Benchmarking exercise is out for your comment. While every effort has been taken to ensure that this draft is correct and supported by documentary evidence and other input, we apologise in advance for any errors.
We sincerely ask for your input to ensure it is as accurate as possible. Written input using the item number concerned is most welcome.
Click here to download The attached draft copy of the SA Civil Society NCDs Benchmarking Exercise for your constructive comment and correction by 11 November 2014.
This NCD Benchmarking Exercise aims to assess the national capacity for responding to NCDs – from a civil society perspective.
It is framed to complement national reporting processes on NCDs, as well as WHO monitoring on NCDs.
It includes elements of the NCD national response/capacity that are not reflected in official government/WHO reporting, such as elements that relate to civil society organization engagement and capacity.
The benchmarking tool was developed in consultation with an expert working group of the NCD Alliance.
It is piloted as part of the NCD Alliance programme “Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD Action” in Brazil, the Caribbean Community and South Africa.
The programme is funded by a generous grant from Medtronic Philanthropy.
Please return comments to Vicki Pinkney-Atkinson
