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Infections

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Natural ways to build up your immune-system.
ColdsFluInfections
April 7, 2021

Preventing the flu naturally this winter

The flu is not anything to sneeze at. It kills about 10,000 people of five years and older each year in South Africa. While that’s a relatively small number compared with the past year’s COVID-19 deaths, it’s still a heavy toll. Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a new coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2), and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. Like SARS-CoV-2, flu is transmitted by hitching a lift on droplets from the upper respiratory tract, and by people transferring virus-carrying droplets by…

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FluInfections
March 12, 2020

Coronavirus – how to stay calm and clean

Where and when did it all begin? On the 31st of December 2019, China alerted the World Health Organisation to several patients with flu-like symptoms in a city called Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province. Initial assessments of these patients ruled out “known” flu-like viruses including bird flu, seasonal flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Once these initial patients were assessed, they were placed into quarantine. The suspected source of the outbreak was identified as a busy seafood market in the city the following day. Days later Chinese authorities identified the virus,…

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Infections
May 3, 2019

Winning the war against polio

Thankfully, due to routine immunisations, South Africa has been free from polio since 1989. There are, however still cases of polio in other countries. In recent years, the number of people affected by polio has decreased, but unfortunately, even a small number of infected people can put many others at risk.

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Infections
April 8, 2019

Do you have a viral rash?

A viral rash is, as its name suggests, caused by a virus. Like viral infections, viral rashes mostly affect toddlers and children. They generally look like splotches, red spots or raised bumps, but this can change, depending on the type of rash.

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Infections
April 8, 2019

What is the difference between viral and bacterial infections?

It’s important to understand the difference between a bacterial and viral infection. Even though both infections can cause similar symptoms, they are treated very differently.

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Infections
March 20, 2019

How to keep worms out of your stomach

The thought of having a parasite crawling around in your body can be quite scary, but you're not alone; parasites are more common than you think.

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Infections
October 8, 2018

Measles 101

Measles is an infectious illness caused by the rubeola virus. And although there is a vaccine for measles, it’s still one of the leading causes of death in children. The measles virus is found in the mucus of your nose and throat. This means you can get the virus by breathing in when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. It’s so contagious that you can get it simply by being in the same room as an infected person. If you haven’t been vaccinated and come into contact with someone who has measles, you are very much at risk of…

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Infections
September 18, 2018

Can kissing make you sick?

Kissing is a love language. It’s a show of affection – but it does come with health risks! The good news is that with good oral hygiene, you can kiss up a storm with peace of mind… Diseases can be spread from person to person in several ways and this includes: Contact spreading: During kissing, or indirectly when you touch a contaminated surface or object. Droplet spreading: Infected droplets from the nose and throat may travel around a metre before they drop onto a surface. At times, infected droplets can linger in the air. You can get an infection through…

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