THIS WEEK IN SIYAYINQOBA BEAT IT!

EPISODE 25 - Water and sanitation

Public health is a basic right of every person living in South Africa. Our Constitution states that all citizens have the right to basic needs like water and sanitation.  Yet there are still areas where even these basic commodities, that most take for granted, are not easily available or accessible. Despite the negative impact this has on these communities it also leads to poor hygiene, which can create a breeding ground for a variety of diseases and as a result many babies die from diarrhoea and pneumonia.  These could be avoided if people had access to clean water.

On this week's Siyayinqoba Beat It! we examine the facts regarding water and sanitation and ask what can be done to improve the living conditions. Joining the Support Group once again is Dr Trevor Majoro and we welcome Chandré Prince from the Daily Dispatch Newspaper in East London.  Chandré has been closely following a story in the Ukhalamba District of the Eastern Cape where 140 babies died earlier this year.  That is where our first story comes from as we meet a young mother who lost one of her children. Her name is Thandiwe who lost her four month-old baby and we hear her story. Thandiwe's baby was first diagnosed as having colic but later it was discovered he had pneumonia. After being on a drip he was released but started vomiting whenever he ate food. Dr Mfanelo Titus goes into detail about the many factors that can lead to infants dying in these areas, not least of which is the lack of clean water and a lack of certain basic rehydration fluids on the hospital premises. Back in the studio Dr Majoro explains the different types of diarrhoea and how it begins. Chandré Prince explains how she found out about the lack of poor primary healthcare at the hospitals in the region and how each side of the problem (the Health Department and the municipality) blamed the other, but now steps are being taken to remedy the problem.

That's the focus of our next story from Upper Telle at a school in Mabele where our now former Minister of Health was addressing the community about what is being done to address the problems of diarrhoea and pneumonia. Spectacularly Manto Tshabalala-Msimang claims that eating garlic and beetroot fights the "virus" because "she has studied it". It is this sort of inept leadership that has caused and contributed to the crisis of the public health sector in South Africa. Fortunately everyone making use of the public health sector can for now rest assured that we have a new Minister of Health who believes in the scientific governance of medicine.  Overall though, the government has committed to supplying the right vaccines for all areas to further help the health of our children and adults.

Our last insert shows how dehydration can be detected and treated in infants. We're at the Nolungile Clinic where it is explained how a rehydration solution is made for to address the effects of diarrhoea. A simple solution of sugar and salt is suggested but if the problem persists the baby should be rushed to the closest clinic. Many lessons have been learnt from the deaths in the Eastern Cape, and perhaps the government let the problem get really serious before it reacted, but it is essential that we get the right treatment to our kids - HIV positive or not - at the right time across the country.

IT'S A FACT