Covid-19 demography in France and South Africa: A comparative study of morbidity and mortality in 2020-2022.

Background: Covid-19 epidemics raged around the world in years 2020-2022. The dynamics of the epidemics and their mortality varied by country depending on prevention, treatments, vaccination and health status of the population.

Objective: The study compares Covid-19 morbidity and mortality in South-Africa and in France, two countries with similar population size and with reliable reporting systems, in order to better understand the dynamics and impacts of the epidemics and the effects of health policies and programs.

[Anorexia nervosa: demographic, socio-economic and cultural data still too limited].

Although eating disorders are a public health issue, treating anorexia nervosa from a demographic and socio-economic perspective remains a challenge. Data are scarce, patchy and often of questionable quality. Such a lack of data on a somatopsychic illness with serious repercussions is a real problem, since reliable, longitudinal and detailed information could provide additional answers in understanding the illness, both in terms of age, sex and gender structure, and in terms of family, social and environmental factors.

[Infant and child mortality in Palestine].

The infant mortality rate (children under five) in Palestine is 21 deaths per 1,000 live births. Palestine has thus successfully reached the threshold set by the Millennium Development Goals for child mortality. However, this rate is higher than in neighboring countries.

Discontinuation of contraceptives among adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in Nigeria: a descriptive analysis.

Background: Adolescent girls are the mostly affected with maternal and child complications. Contraceptive use is an important tool in curbing sexual and reproductive health challenges especially among adolescent girls in the developing countries. Despite, the low use of contraceptives among adolescents in Nigeria, the possibility of discontinuation of use after initiation is strong.

[Tuberculosis remains a public health issue in South Africa].

Tuberculosis is an airborne infectious disease that can damage the lungs and other body organs. Early detection of people infected with Koch's bacillus is important because tuberculosis is a contagious disease. It can be cured.

[Circumcision and HIV Prevention in Southern Africa: WHO Recommendations Questioned].

The relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and male circumcision, medical or traditional, remains controversial. Randomized clinical trials indicate that medical circumcision reduces the incidence in the months following surgery. But population-based studies show that the prevalence is the same over the long term.

[The role of nurses in the prevention and post-traumatic management of domestic violence in South Africa].

The World Health Organization defines domestic violence as the deliberate use of force, power, threats, against a person or group of people, which may result in death or physical injury. As such, it usually results in physical, economic, psychological, sexual or emotional harm. This study assessed the prevalence and contributing factors of domestic violence among women and children in South Africa to better understand the factors surrounding domestic violence using the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey.

Facing Your Fear of COVID-19: Resilience as a Protective Factor Against Burnout in South African Teachers.

Objective: Frontline workers have been distinctively impacted by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers, as frontline employees in the educational system, had to contend with unprecedented changes to their work role, as well as new job demands coupled with insufficient resources and the effects of the pandemic on their personal lives. While some teachers struggled to cope and reported intense levels of fear of COVID-19 and burnout, others were able to adapt and experienced a sense of growth and accomplishment.

Susceptibility of Nigerian adolescents to pregnancy and use of modern contraceptives.

Nearly half of pregnancies amongst adolescent girls between ages 15 and 19 are unplanned, one outcome of this is unsafe abortion. Nigerian adolescents aged 15-19 have higher proportion of unmet needs for contraception than those aged 20-24, raising pertinent questions on their perceived susceptibility to pregnancy. Using the Health Belief Model, this article examined the effect of perceived susceptibility to pregnancy on modern contraceptive use among adolescents in Nigeria.

A serial model of the interrelationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, fear of COVID-19, and psychological distress among teachers in South Africa.

The current study examined the serial relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and psychological distress among school teachers. Participants were South African school teachers ( = 355) who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale. A path analysis confirmed that teachers who appraised themselves as more susceptible to disease, experienced heightened levels of fear of COVID-19, which led to heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.

Validation of the fear of COVID-19 scale in South Africa: Three complementary analyses.

Fear is the most common response to disease outbreaks. Persistent and prolonged fear can elevate the levels of psychological distress and aggravate preexisting mental health problems. Therefore, prompted by the central role of fear in psychological responses to COVID-19, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was developed, which is the only instrument that can assess emotional fear reactions in relation to the current pandemic.

[COVID-19 in South Africa: the caregivers involved].

South Africa is the sub-Saharan African country most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health professionals, particularly nurses, are strongly mobilised to fight the epidemic and care for the sick. In addition to their conditions and overwork, many health care workers are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes illness and death.

South Africa: Challenges and successes of the COVID-19 lockdown.

At the beginning of March 2020, South Africa (59 million inhabitants) was hit by the pandemic of COVID-19 and soon became the most affected country in Africa by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. From one single case on March 5th, the number of cases increased rapidly, forcing the South-African Government to swiftly react and place the country under strict lockdown for six weeks. The strategy of the South African Government bore fruits with a contained spread of the virus.