Infectious diseases will always be with us, was the message that Prof Lucille Blumberg, a highly respected infectious diseases specialist and New Dawn member, gave to the club at the meeting last week.
Prof Lucille has been travelling extensively over the past few months and reported back on a variety of infectious diseases from all over the world based on her experiences with the World Health Organisation.
Covid-19: Covid has receded from public prominence with little or no vaccinations taking place anymore, but is still very much with us, said Prof Blumberg, even though the pandemic is coming to an end.
If you suspect you might have Cold, it is still advisable to report it to your doctor, she said.
Influenza: There's a lot of flu around after the enforced isolation of the Covid lockdown years, but it should reach a natural end by September.
Mumps: The recent outbreak of mumps in eight South African provinces is being monitored carefully.
Cholera: This originated in Malawi and there have been a number of cases reported, especially in Hammanskraal north of Pretoria. Outbreaks highlight deficiencies in the sanitation system, which are unacceptable. There are hotspots in the rest of the world.
Malaria: Quite a lot has been done and is being done to reduce the number of malaria cases.
Polio: We are in the endgame as far as polio is concerned. The last two countries affected are Afghanistan and Pakistan, mainly due to the difficulty in getting vaccines to often almost unreachable outposts.
Generally speaking all eyes at the moment are on flu and Avian Influenza.
Judy Sligcher in her capacity as AG thanked president Julian Nagy for all his efforts in the past Rotary year and presented a gift to him on behalf of the club. A gift was also presented to Executive Secretary Joan Donet for her work during the year.
As reported last week, Karlien Kruger received her certificate and pin for becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, bestowed upon her by the club in general and Judy and Jankees Sligcher in particular. This was for her work with Copessa and her contributions to the club in her field of human resources.
In his final meeting as president, Julian Nagy reported that the incoming District Governor, DG Riana Pretorius has stated a goal to build 120 toilets to celebrate Rotary's 120th birthday and has appealed to all clubs in the district to support the initiative.
This week: Wednesday sees Mbali Zulu's first official meeting as president of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn. He'll be announcing his board for the coming year.
On Saturday a group of New Dawn members spent the morning at the Johannesburg Zoo with patients at the Woodside Sanctuary championed by Paul Kasango. By all accounts the visit was a great success and a welcome outing for the Woodsiders and staff. Transport was arranged by our own motor man, Mike MacDonald, and supplied by Halfway Toyota.
A Thought for the Week: The foundation on which Rotary is built is friendship; on no less a firm foundation could it have stood. - Paul Harris (1868 - 1947)
Thanks to Graham Donet for doing the blog in my absence.
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