Since 1992, the Health Systems Trust has contributed to the development of a health system that can meet the needs of all South Africans, including the most disadvantaged. We will continue to work with all stakeholders in order to improve health care, particularly in areas most underserved and in need.

Senior Administrative Officer - Durban
HST
2009-06-15

HST has a vacancy for the position of Senior Administrator, who will provide efficient and effective administrative support to the Health Systems Trust and will co-ordinate office activities in the Durban Head Office.
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District Health Barometer Launch at HISA 2009
HST
2009-05-28

The 2007/8 edition of the District Health Barometer 2007/08 will be launched on the 6th of July 2009 at Emperors Palace, Gauteng at the cocktail evening for the opening of the HISA conference.
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CD4 cell counts becoming lower soon after infection with HIV, suggests virus becoming more virulent
Aidsmap
2009-04-24

The initial CD4 cell counts of patients newly infected with HIV fell significantly between 1985 and 2001, US research published in the May 1st edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases has shown. This suggests that the virus may have evolved to become more virulent during this time period, which could have clinical implications, shortening the interval between infection with HIV and the need to start HIV treatment. In people with HIV, CD4 cell counts provide an important indication of the strength of the immune system, of HIV disease progression and of when to start antiretroviral treatment.
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Durban moves to lead fight against cancer
Tony Carnie, IOL
2009-04-24

Durban is planning to become the first city in the country to set up its own environmental cancer surveillance unit. The move coincides with a national process to declare cancer a reportable disease and improve data collection on the disease, which kills or disfigures several thousand South Africans every year. Ten years ago The Mercury uncovered evidence of potentially high cancer rates in children in Durban's southern industrial area. Official figures suggest that at least 50 000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed around the country every year, although these statistics are recognised as an underestimation of the true picture. The aim of the new surveillance unit (or registry) is to monitor the number and different types of cancer cases in the Durban area by gathering accurate information on where, how and why the disease occurs, and the extent to which air pollution and other environmental risks might add to the cancer burden. Siva Chetty, the deputy head of pollution control for the eThekwini Health Department, said the plan was to start collecting information on cancer cases in Durban by next year.
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Meningitis claims 2 500
Health 24
2009-04-24

Meningitis has killed more than 2 500 people this year in West and Central Africa in what could become the worst epidemic for five years, UNICEF said. Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Infection rates in Africa rise during the dry and hot period from January to May and the meningitis belt stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia is especially prone. UNICEF said in a statement that in the year to April 5, 2 519 people had died of meningitis in Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad, out of a total of 47 310 cases.
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