SSMJ May 2023
Editorials
South Sudan urgently needs a pandemic influenza preparedness strategy if we are to survive the next big one. COVID-19 was the wake-up call. Globally, as of April 2023, there were 764,474,387 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,915,286 deaths.
Letters to the Editor responding to two articles: An editorial on malaria and introduction to assessing clinical skills
News, Reports and Policy
At the last annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the GMCTF a number of grant awards were made to eligible South Sudanese and Sudanese applicants. There were 120 applications for grants from both South Sudan and Sudan; 34 were short listed for consideration and 19 grants were awarded.
Clinical Guidance
Infections and rheumatic diseases have shared a close relationship since time immemorial. Some rheumatic diseases are a direct consequence of infections while others have been associated with certain microbes without an established causal link. The above relationship is becoming more and more complex due to rapid advances in therapeutics, and also because of factors such as climate change and worldwide travel.
The successful acquisition of clinical skills is essential to development and competence as a clinician. Clinical skills can be assessed in undergraduate education and in the workplace after graduation. Clarity about what is being assessed, and why, should support the development of any assessment process.
Research
Access to medicines is a global problem due to rising prices. This affects the ability of health systems to provide full and affordable healthcare. With the persisting problems of shortages and stockouts of essential medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases, there are increasing numbers of substandard and counterfeit medicinal products posing a serious risk to the public.
Systemic hypertension (SH) contributes the highest number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Patients with resistant hypertension (RH) are more prone to hypertension-mediated organ damage. RH has not been well-studied in Africa, despite the fact that the prevalence of SH is highest in Africa. The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence and predictors of RH among out-patients managed in the cardiology unit of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.
Prostate cancer carries a high morbidity and mortality especially when not diagnosed early. Patients in resource limited countries tend to be diagnosed late and hence delayed surgery for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). This was a retrospective study, from 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2020, on patients who underwent prostatectomy. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from their medical records.
Case Reports
A case report of a 35-year-old female with a large low-grade chondrosarcoma of the left humerus. Resection was performed under regional anaesthesia (interscalene brachial plexus block): this is a useful technique where there are limited resources and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A congenital mesenteric defect in an adult is very rare, but can cause an internal hernia with small bowel obstruction. Awareness of congenital mesenteric defects is important to the general surgeon when faced with an acute abdominal condition. We report a case of a congenital mesenteric defect in a 40-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain.
Ascites is a common problem in South Sudan but published data regarding the incidence are sparse. Much of that is related to nutritional deficiencies, the high incidence of Hepatitis B and C, and congestive heart failure. Although most ascites is transudative in nature, exudative ascites does occur and requires different management strategies.
Summaries
Globally, as of 12:37 am CEST, 26 April 2023, there have been 764,474,387 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,915,286 deaths, reported to WHO.