South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Despite substantial progress in reducing pregnancy-related preventable morbidity and mortality, these remain unacceptably high in developing countries. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) revised recommendations for antenatal care (ANC) from a 4-visit model to a minimum of 8 ANC contacts to reduce perinatal mortality further and improve women's experience of care. The guidelines also recommend that the first ANC visit (ANC-1) should occur during the first trimester. ⋯ Despite increases in the uptake of ≥4 ANC visits and early ANC-1 rates between 2010 and 2013, these practices remain suboptimal. Adhering to ≥4 ANC visits improved coverage of selected ANC activities, implying that strengthening efforts to increase the uptake of ANC from at least 4 to 8, could improve overall outcomes.
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Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable disease, but continues to contribute to large numbers of deaths globally and remains among the leading causes of death in South Africa (SA). Evaluating trends in TB deaths and progress towards the End TB strategy target of zero deaths is particularly important to guide policy and practice in SA. ⋯ In considering the reported deaths in SA that identify TB as the underlying cause of death, it is important to be aware of potential limitations and sources of bias. We have examined the relationship between TB and HIV and the recording of underlying and contributing causes of death, and clarified the World Health Organization's methodology for estimating TB deaths.
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The basis of a manuscript is the research question, which is reported within a standard publication structure. The 'Background' section clarifies the question. ⋯ The 'Discussion' section describes how findings of the study relate to current knowledge and the practical implications of the results, and suggests future studies. This structure differs from that of a thesis, the aims of which are broader than reporting on a specific research question.
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Historical Article
Human brucellosis in South Africa: A review for medical practitioners.
Brucellosis is recognised as a neglected zoonotic tropical disease of global health and economic importance. Medical practitioner unawareness of the disease is reported to contribute to the overall neglect. ⋯ The overall aim of this review article is to increase medical practitioner capacity to detect, diagnose and treat brucellosis in the SA context. A brief review of the literature on human brucellosis in SA is presented, together with a discussion of current issues related to medical detection, treatment and management of brucellosis, applicable to the SA context.