Riekje Pelgrim
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/ 20 March 2006

Government’s strong medicine

Medicine price reform will, on average, save consumers between 13% and 15% this year compared with 2003 prices, says the Department of Health, saying that pricing reform is working. Medicine costs a total R13-billion and R3-billion annually in the private and state sectors respectively.

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/ 22 February 2006

Cheaply departed

Two new developments in the morbid world of undertaking are breathing new life into the coffin trade, which has seen prices rise exponentially, with even poor families spending up to R20 000 for a casket. The Eco-Friendly Coffin and the Every-Body DIY Coffin aim to make the business of dying not only affordable but also environmentally friendly.

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/ 17 February 2006

Concern over bird flu grows

A week after the confirmation of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Nigeria, culling and containment has been slow and inconsistent, triggering concern across the African continent. The problems in Nigeria are numerous. Millions of chickens are dying; both government and local communities claim they have been badly informed.

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/ 31 January 2006

Milk of human kindness overflows

The upmarket suburb of Manor Gardens in Durban may look serene, but is home to ground zero in the fight against Aids. The iThemba Lethu Milk Bank is the first in the world to provide breast milk exclusively for babies abandoned or orphaned by the virus. The initiative is designed to help boost the fragile immune systems of these vulnerable children.