Pellagra in South Africa from 1897 to 2019: a scoping review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Margaretha Viljoen ◽  
Priyesh Bipath ◽  
Cheryl Tosh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Vitamin B3 ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Usa ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Black Populations ◽  
Vitamin B3 Deficiency ◽  
Niacin Deficiency

Abstract Objective: Pellagra is a nutritional deficiency disease associated with niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency. The history of pellagra is well documented for Europe and the USA, but less is known about the prevalence in sub-Saharan African countries. This study documents the history of pellagra in South Africa, as diagnosed based on dermatological symptoms. Design: Narrative review of information from scientific databases, library archives, other archives and record services and from Statistics South Africa. Setting: South Africa, 1897-2019. Participants: South African Results: Pellagra was first officially recorded in South Africa in 1906, but there are earlier indications of the disease. The prevalence of pellagra peaked after it was all but eradicated in the USA and Europe. Pellagra was never as prevalent in South Africa as in Europe, the USA and Egypt, where special hospitals for pellagrins were established. However, studies on urinary excretion of metabolites conducted in 1960s and 1970s suggested a high prevalence of subclinical (sub-pellagra) niacin deficiency, especially in previously disadvantaged Black populations. As in Europe and the USA, pellagra was associated with poverty and an overdependence on maize as staple food. Malnutrition was the main cause of the disease, but alcohol abuse might have been a contributing factor. In South Africa, reports of pellagra had declined by the late 1980s/early 1990s, and hardly any cases were reported by the year 2000. Conclusions: Although pellagra, diagnosed based on dermatological symptoms, appears to be largely eradicated in South Africa, it does not rule out the potential for subclinical niacin deficiency.

The Global Green Bean and Other Tales of Madness

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Freidberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Institutions ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Food Retailing ◽  
Green Beans ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
History Of ◽  
Food Scare ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
Sub Saharan

The last years of the 20th century were tough times for selling food to Europeans. The competition was fierce, the rules uncertain, and the retail markets picky. It was not just that huge supermarket chains had come to dominate food retailing, and to demand products conforming to ever-higher standards of convenience and aesthetic quality; these trends were common across the industrialized world. In addition, they demanded that the suppliers of those products— farmers and manufacturers, but also a range of intermediaries—meet standards of hygiene and accountability that were unimaginable twenty, even ten years earlier. The supermarkets wanted assurances that none of their products would set off another food scare; too many had already shaken European consumers’ faith in the supermarkets’ increasingly globalized offerings. On the supermarket shelves, these assurances might appear as new labels or packaging, if they appeared at all. What consumers largely did not see was the work that went into providing them with food as certifiably pure as it was pretty. This work took place on farms and in packhouses; in consultants’ offices and corporate boardrooms; in activists’ meetings and chemical analysts’ laboratories. It demanded long flights, short deadlines, and nonstop vigilance. Above all, the work of assuring the overall goodness of globalized food required all kinds of people and things to deal with each other in new ways, and often across great distances. In this sense, it transformed the social relationships of food provisioning on both an interpersonal and transcontinental scale. This book explores how these changes took shape within two fresh vegetable trades, or commodity networks, linking two Sub-Saharan African countries to their former European colonial powers. The francophone network brings Burkina Faso’s green beans to France, while the anglophone network brings an assortment of prepackaged fresh vegetables from Zambia to the United Kingdom. Broadly similar in some ways, they differ radically in others, including the ways that they experienced Europe’s late twentieth-century food scares. By exploring the history of these differences and how they are sustained and transformed in specific places, practices, and social institutions, I hope to illuminate the relationship between culture and power in globalized food provisioning.

scholarly journals How to understand, evaluate and influence efficient progress in South Africa’s land reform process: A typology from historical lessons from selected sub-Saharan African countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhlanhla C. Mbatha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Policy Uncertainty ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Black Farmers ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: With reports of widespread failures in South Africa’s land reform programmes, the levels of policy uncertainty in the political rhetoric that influences land reform have been increasing. Since 1994 policy targets to transfer land to black farmers have not been met. Of the 2005 target to transfer about 25 million ha of commercial farmland to black farmers by 2014, less than 5 million ha. have been transferred for commercial use. Some studies report failure rates in resettlement projects of up to 90%. To account for the failures, revisions of policies and amendments to legislations have been proposed within a political environment that is becoming increasingly intolerant to slow progress in land transfers and to resettlement failures.Aim: Against this environment, this paper presents a typology for understanding and evaluating important elements of the land reform project in order to influence progress in the process.Setting: The study adopts a historical review of land reform processes in post-colonial Kenya and Zimbabwe in order to identify potential challenges and key lessons for South Africa.Methods: Hence, using institutional and historical analytical lenses in exploring different narratives, the paper reviews reported failures and successes in land reform policy cases from the selected countries. From an institutional framework, prevalent social institutions and key lessons from Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa, a typology for evaluating important elements of the land reform process in South Africa is developed and discussed. Additionally, a review of global data collected on average sizes of farms in different regions of the world is provided as evidence to support propositions of what would constitute efficient farmland size ranges for small to medium commercial farms in South Africa.Results and conclusion: A proposition is made on how to use the typology to guide policy and research interventions to reduce failures and promote successful cases in different areas of the land reform process in South Africa, and possibly other similar contexts.

Challenging the Orthodoxy: African Development in the Age of Openness

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamee Moudud ◽  
Karl Botchway
Keyword(s):  
Trade Openness ◽  
Developmental State ◽  
Policy Position ◽  
Income Convergence ◽  
African Countries ◽  
African Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Empirical Level ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan

AbstractDoes trade openness necessarily lead to income convergence between countries in the North and South and hence facilitates social development? This paper challenges this claim with regards to African development in the age of neo-liberalism. The paper argues that a one-sided reading of the history of an early phase of globalization by advocates of neo-liberalism seems to have turned trade openness into a mantra for African development. Furthermore the paper challenges the rhetoric of competitiveness that underpins the rationale for neo-liberalism by critiquing the neoclassical model of competition. The neo-liberal policy position, as the paper suggests is problematic at an empirical level also. In a test for convergence for eleven sub-Saharan African countries described as good adjusters by advocates of trade openness, the paper shows that a straightforward openness per se guarantees nothing as far their growth rates are concerned. Rather this paper suggests that the role of the “developmental state” needs to be brought back in order to facilitate the international competitiveness of African countries. It will be argued that such a role for the developmental state rests on a very different conceptualization of the nature of capitalist competition and growth. In the final instance, then, we suggest the need for building a theory of the developmental state that rests on non-neoclassical macro- and micro-foundations.

scholarly journals South-South migration and elections: evidence from post-apartheid South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Biniam E. Bedasso ◽  
Pascal Jaupart
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Single Issue ◽  
Local Public Services ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Election Results

AbstractLittle is known about the political consequences of immigration in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we estimate the effect of exposure to immigration on election outcomes in South Africa. Our analysis is based on municipality panel data and an instrumental variable (IV) strategy exploiting historical migrant settlement patterns. We find that local immigration concentration has a negative impact on the performance of the incumbent African National Congress, whereas support for the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is found to increase in municipalities with a larger immigrant presence. These effects hold regardless of the skill levels of immigrants in a municipality. In terms of mechanisms, competition over jobs and local public services as well as ethnic diversity and cultural factors influence how immigration affects election outcomes. These findings are robust to a broad range of sensitivity checks. They provide evidence that immigration can be a politically salient issue in migrant-destination Sub-Saharan African countries. They also show that immigration can affect election results even in contexts where there is no single issue anti-migrant party.

scholarly journals Non-communicable respiratory disease in Malawi: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-73
Author(s):  
Rebecca Nightingale
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Respiratory Disease ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Airflow Obstruction ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Chronic Respiratory Disease ◽  
African Countries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Life Course

BackgroundNon-communicable respiratory diseases are important contributors to morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan African countries such as Malawi. AimTo conduct a systematic review of the available literature relating to chronic respiratory disease in Malawi. MethodsWe conducted a systematic protocol-driven literature search of key scientific databases including Scopus and Medline. Papers were independently assessed for eligibility by two authors and included if they reported objective measures (including self-reported standard symptoms) of chronic respiratory disease and were conducted in Malawi. A meta-analysis of available estimates was then conducted. We re-analysed data from three of these studies in a secondary data analysis to allow for between-study comparisons. ResultsOur search identified 393 papers of which 17 (5 involving children and 12 involving adults) met the inclusion criteria. Wheeze was the symptom most frequently reported in children in the community (12.1%), hospital (11.2%) and HIV clinic (8.1%) settings. Cough was the symptom most frequently reported by adults in the community (3–18%). Spirometric abnormalities varied substantially between studies. For example, in adults, airflow obstruction varied between 2.3% and 20% and low forced vital capacity (FVC) varied between 2.7% and 52.8%. ConclusionWe identified a high burden of chronic respiratory symptoms and abnormal spirometry (particularly low FVC) within paediatric and adult populations in Malawi. The estimates for country-wide burden related to this disease were limited by the heterogeneity of the methods used to assess symptoms and spirometry. There is an urgent need to develop a better understanding of the determinants and natural history of non-communicable respiratory disease across the life-course in Malawi.

scholarly journals Angola - an Oil Dependant Country in Sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (35) ◽  
pp. 233-242
Author(s):  
Boris Baumgartner
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The One ◽  
Rich Countries ◽  
Essential Problem

Abstract The Sub-Saharan Africa belongs to the most underdeveloped regions in the world economy. This region consists of forty nine countries but it’s world GDP share is only a small percentage. There are some very resource rich countries in this region. One of them is Angola. This former Portuguese colony has one of the largest inventories of oil among all African countries. Angola recorded one of the highest growth of GDP between 2004-2008 from all countries in the world economy and nowadays is the third biggest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and South Africa. The essential problem of Angola is the one-way oriented economy on oil and general on natural resources. Angola will be forced to change their one-way oriented economy to be more diversified and competitive in the future.

scholarly journals The history of the development of ballroom choreography in the Republic of South Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetiana Pavliuk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Government Support ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Ballroom Dancing ◽  
Dance Culture ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Ballroom Dance ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic

The purpose of the article is to analyze trends in the development of ballroom choreography in the Republic of South Africa. Research methodology is an organic set of basic principles of research: objectivity, historicism, multifactorial, systematicity, complexity, development, and pluralism, and to achieve the goal, the following methods of scientific knowledge are used: problem-chronological, concrete historical, statistical, descriptive, logical- analytical. Scientific Novelty. An attempt was made to research the topical issues of the history of the development of ballroom choreography in the Republic of South Africa. Conclusions. The versatility of the choreoplastic language of ballroom dance leads to the fact that even in those regions where ballroom choreography was historically regarded as the art of outsiders (conquerors and colonizers), which contradicts local artistic and aesthetic traditions, ballroom dancing becomes a part of the local dance culture. In addition, it is the ballroom choreography that is the very integrative element that connects local cultures that are quite far from Western thinking with the global worldview system. International cooperation between amateur dancers and professionals is promising in terms of cultural interaction and exchange of experience in the field of choreographic art. In general, the analysis of the African experience allows us to conclude that after passing through the stage of a kind of "nationalization" and adaptation by local ethics and aesthetics, ballroom choreography organically merges into the system of organizing leisure time, scenic screen art, and sports. To date, from the point of view of the development of ballroom choreography for Africa, only the overcoming of economic difficulties remains relevant. In the context of government support, ballroom choreography functions as an important resource for recovery, education, socialization of the population; it is able to fit into the national system of education, leisure, culture, and sports in the vast majority of African countries. Keywords: ballroom choreography, ballroom dance, competition dance.  

African states hope the Gulf crisis will end soon

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Union ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Political Effects ◽  
Gulf Crisis ◽  
Sub Saharan

Significance The split between Qatar and its neighbours has pushed a few small African countries to side with Saudi Arabia, but leaves the continent’s leading powers and several conflict-afflicted nations eager to stay neutral -- for now. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) -- where Gulf countries have strong diplomatic ties and major economic investments -- the crisis has had significant political effects. Impacts The withdrawal of Qatari peacekeepers from the Djibouti-Eritrea border will become a pressing concern for the African Union. Ongoing expulsions of African migrants from Saudi Arabia will complicate Saudi and Emirati efforts to find African partners against Qatar. Countries such as South Africa and Nigeria may begin to act more assertively in calling for neutrality.

scholarly journals Fault Lines, Racial and Aesthetic: The National Arts Festival at Grahamstown

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-337
Author(s):  
BRYAN SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Cultural Industries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Street Performance ◽  
Arts Festival ◽  
Fault Lines ◽  
The City ◽  
Civic Space

This article asks how theatre shapes civic space by examining the emergence of racial divides in the city of Grahamstown, South Africa, during the annual National Arts Festival (NAF). I track how decision making by festival organizers has relied on economic research and implicit artistic preferences that have resulted in the steady exclusion of artists from local townships. I argue that the presence of the NAF in Grahamstown creates fault lines that are not physical, but aesthetic, in nature, creating invisible boundaries that reward stage performances at the expense of street performances. I track a history of street performance at the NAF, with particular attention to its local mime tradition, to demonstrate how this axis of festivity was integral to developing the NAF's cultural cachet, but was systematically managed, policed or appropriated to fit organizers’ image for Grahamstown at festival time. This work troubles aspirational narratives of creative and cultural industries that South Africa and other African countries have come to rely upon as inclusive and sustainable routes of economic development.

5. HIV AND WOMEN: THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE

Sexual Health ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 286
Author(s):  
D. A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cervical Screening ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hormonal Contraceptives ◽  
First Line ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Incidence Studies ◽  
Seroprevalence Data ◽  
Sub Saharan

Africa as a continent has been devastated by the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Women are more likely to acquire HIV/AIDS for a number of reasons and incidence studies show that younger women are particularly at risk of HIV acquisition. Biologically, they are more vulnerable and the acquisition of HIV can be influenced by hormonal contraceptives as well as sexually transmitted infections, which are often more asymptomatic than is the case for men. Women in Africa are also more vulnerable because of cultural issues; in some countries polygamy is accepted practice. Women are often economically disadvantaged and disempowered. It is often hard for them to insist on the use of condoms with husbands and regular partners. Physical and sexual abuse of women, including rape, remains a major problem on the continent, particularly in times of civil war. Many women are forced to work as sex workers or be involved in transactional sex in order to survive. Most countries rely on anonymous antenatal surveys to generate HIV seroprevalence data for women of reproductive age. These data is often used as surrogate markers for HIV prevalence rates in men of a similar age. The seroprevalence of HIV among pregnant women differs remarkably around the continent, with the highest rates being seen in Southern Africa, as high as 30%, and much lower rates being seen in West Africa. These reasons underlying these differences are complex and not completely understood. UNAIDS estimated in 2005 that 470�000 (87%) of the world's 540�000 newly infected children (<15 years old) reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is thus a national priority in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Despite policies, treatment is sometimes not given at the clinic level for several reasons, and when it is, most commonly it is with single dose Nevirapine. Data from South Africa has shown that both mothers and infected babies rapidly acquire nevirapine resistance. It is likely that this will lead to early failure of first line antiretroviral (ARV) therapy among these mothers once they start their ARVs. In South Africa, for example, either efavirenz or nevirapine form the backbone of the first-line ARV regimens. AIDS defining illnesses (ADIs) in women living in Africa are similar to those observed in men. Tuberculosis is the most common ADI but other life-threatening illnesses such as cryptococcal meningitis are relatively common compared to other parts of the world. Cervical cancer and cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) lesions are more common in HIV-infected than in non-infected women. Most countries in Africa do not have cervical screening programmes and, even in richer countries such as South Africa, the national policy is to screen women three times in their life at 30, 40 and 50 years of age. Many HIV specialist centres, with additional donor funds, are now attempting to perform annual cervical screening, at least in South Africa.

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