​​SU's Rector and Vice-chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers announced late last year that 2020 will be the university's Year for Persons with Disability. It will culminate in the sixth African Network for Evidence-to- Action in Disability (AfriNEAD) conference, a prestigious international network that will be hosted by SU from the 30 November to 3 December 2020. To honour this the Transformation Office and the Disability Unit, along with AfriNEAD, will publish monthly reflections or articles by persons with disabilities. Our second piece is written by Hillary Lane​, the coordinator for AfriNEAD, a disability research evidence project that has been initiated in the Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty of the University of Stellenbosch within the Centre of Rehabilitation Studies.​

Now I can say that I am at Stellenbosch University and have been there for seven years. I am the coordinator for AfriNEAD, a project started by the head of the Centre for Disabilities and Rehabilitation Studies, Prof Gubela Mji. This has been the most wonderful time of my life. Little did I know what an amazing journey this would turn out to be when she phoned and asked me to come and see her!

Dr Morné Mostert, Director of the Institute for Futures Research (IFR) in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, is set to engage with prominent scientists and other eminent global thought leaders from around the world after he was accepted as a full member of the renowned international think-tank, the Club of Rome (CoR).

CoR was created in 1968 to unite an international network of leading thinkers from various disciplines who share a concern for the future of humanity. It is the first truly global think tank, encompassing views from academia, business, government and civil society. Members are required to contribute to critical international projects, such as climate change and planetary emergency initiatives, reclaiming and reframing economics and the role of the youth.

Mostert observed in his acceptance that “there has never been an epoch in which higher-order intellectual modalities, such as futures-based systemic and strategic long-term thinking, and their urgent execution, were as essential for human survival as they are today".

He said that his membership represents recognition of the thought leadership role that IFR plays worldwide, and explained that the IFR was established as a result of the launch of the first report of the CoR, Limits to Growth, in 1972. This report is considered a classic in the sustainability movement and the first study to question the viability of continued growth in the human ecological footprint.

“The intention (with IFR) was always to establish an institute to study the longer-term implications for business."

He said his first order of business as a CoR member will be to focus on the role of business in the organisation's current international projects and in relation to the long-term outlook for Africa.

“With the Coronavirus now dominating global discourse, I am also focused on working on a sense-making framework for business based on the behaviour of epidemics."

Mostert thanked EMS Faculty Dean Prof Ingrid Woolard for her commitment in positioning IFR and USB on the global stage.

“I hope to represent the university with distinction on this prestigious international platform," he said. “The vision of SU includes striving to become globally recognised as excellent. This global recognition is a demonstration of that strategic intent."

​This is not the first collaboration with CoR. Last year, IFR co-hosted the global think-tank's annual global summit at Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. On that occasion, Mostert presented a public lecture on African futures.​

• ​Photo supplied.​
  

Stellenbosch University (SU) biotechnologist Dr Debra Rossouw and process engineer Dr Margreth Tadie were both last year announced as among the first fellows to receive FLAIR Fellowships (Future Leaders – African Independent Research). The initiative recognises them as being among Africa's most promising early career researchers. Both have now also received FLAIR Collaboration Grants, which allows them to team up with leading experts in the UK in their fields of study.

The FLAIR Fellowship is an initiative of the African Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, with support from the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). It helps talented early-career researchers whose work is focused on the needs of the continent to establish independent careers in African institutions. It gives them the opportunity to develop their careers, bolster international networks and to address global challenges.

In all, 14 South Africa-based researchers were among the inaugural 30 FLAIR awardees selected in 2019 from a competitive pool of 700 applicants across the continent. Twenty have now received FLAIR Collaboration Grants.

Biotechnologist Dr Debra Rossouw studies yeasts, bacteria and microalgae and is a member of staff at the SU Institute for Wine Biotechnology. The FLAIR Collaboration Grant allows her to team up with Prof Matthew Goddard from the University of Lincoln. They will work together on an ecologically sustainable project to combat an array of damaging fungal species which amongst others cause food and beverage spoilage as well as other opportunistic fungal infections. They will focus on yeast species that can be used and modified as biocontrol agents s to selectively target or attack harmful fungal species.

Dr Rossouw says that, aside from the standard project expenses, the grant allows for herself and postgraduate students to travel and spend research stays with the UK partner as deemed necessary.

“The greatest benefit perhaps will be the cohesive and robust interchange between the Leeds and Stellenbosch partners' complementary experience base and collective inputs," she adds.

She says Prof Goddard's experience in fungal ecology will be a key to successfully engineer microbial-based consortia for effective biocontrol of harmful yeasts – an increasing global concern.

Dr Rossouw studies how different species of yeasts interact with one another, or with bacteria and algae, and how these could be used in industrial processes.

Such micro-organisms are typically between 1 and 6 thousandths of a millimetre (or 1-6 micrometers) in diameter. Through her research, Dr Rossouw focusses on one extremely small but significant aspect of these micro-organisms – their cell walls. She studies the genes and proteins that control and influence how these structures function. To do so, she uses a variety of techniques from traditional molecular biology methods and microscopy to computational simulations and next generation sequencing technologies.

Dr Rossouw was the first to publish a paper on a topic called co-aggregation (or co-flocculation). This phenomenon happens when the cell walls of different species of yeast adhere or “glue" to each other in very species-specific patterns. She found out that in some cases, these interactions influence the very survival (or not) of the species involved.

“One would be able to use these interactions for biocontrol purposes or, alternatively, to 'build' ecosystems  to improve fermentation technology or wastewater bioremediation measures," she comments on the future relevance of her work.

Dr Rossouw hopes her findings will benefit commercial fermentation practices and improve the environmental sustainability of the wine sector.

“Aside from the practical applications, the research I am embarking on will shed light on how physical interactions between different species may have shaped the evolution of micro-organisms in natural ecosystems in which numerous species occur together," she adds.

Dr Rossouw has an excellent academic track record and is the recipient of numerous South African research fellowships over the past decade. She obtained a PhD in Wine Biotechnology from Stellenbosch University in 2009. She received all of her qualifications in plant biotechnology cum laude from Stellenbosch University, starting with a BSc in Biotechnology in 2003.

Dr Rossouw grew up in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and matriculated from Carter High School in 2000. She lives outside Paarl and is an avid mountain biker and trail runner.

About Dr Margreth Tadie

Dr Margreth Tadie of the SU Department of Process Engineering is seeking solutions for mining pollution. In a project entitled “Implementing Novel Methods for Making Tailings Benign Post Value Recovery Reprocessing", she is partnering with Prof Karen Hudson-Edwards of the University of Exeter.

In 2017, Statistics South Africa reported that the mining industry is slowly declining on a yearly basis. However, the mass amount of waste left behind continues to have a huge environmental impact on the mining communities in South Africa, and the rest of Africa.

For Dr Tadie doing research on mining waste is not just motivated by her academic aspirations but is fuelled by her deep personal experiences of growing up on the dusty mines in her home country of Zimbabwe.

“In many ways mining is who I am, I grew up in this and in many ways the mine for the people who live within mining communities is their life. Your father works in the mine, you work in the mine, your children work in the mine and no matter where you are whether you are the lowest or highest paid, the mine becomes you. Although I am in academia now and I'm not physically on the mine I still identify with the mine and hope that my research can help change mining policies within Africa."

“It's such an honour to get this fellowship from FLAIR and really what they are about is supporting African research and supporting excellent researchers within Africa to be able to become leaders within their research field. I'm passionate about mineral resources in Africa and I'm passionate about what they can do for the continent. There is such incredible wealth in Africa, yet when you look at Africa, we are one of the poorest continents in the world and I'm not happy with that. My heart is really into looking at what we can do better with our resources for our continent and our people."

Tadie's father has been working on mines for over forty years and says being exposed to that environment all her life has had a huge impact on her motivation to help change the negative effects of the industry.

“I grew up next to big heaps of mining waste most of my life and seeing all the dust, that's formed from that fine material, living in landscapes where the vegetation has been deteriorated, because of the mining activities, stayed with me. There are really significant impacts that are negative, that come from mining, which can be prevented; because a lot of it is policy and technical strategy."

Tadie's research project specifically looks at the waste left behind from gold mines in South Africa and develop a framework strategy that looks at sustainable ways to extract minerals so less waste is created in the process. She hopes that this framework strategy will be applied to different sites and eventually influence policy change within the mining industry.

“There are tons of waste heaps that are a legacy of that success in gold mining and those waste heaps are taking up land and are creating pollution. The environmental impact is quite significant, and this project is aimed at finding ways and developing a process, which will deal with this waste."

Tadie says she also recognises the significant impact this fellowship will have on her teaching at SU and hopefully inspiring other young engineers in Africa.

“I am very conscious of being in the minority within the mining industry, but I'm so open to that challenge because we need more role-models. Where women have paved the way in other industries, I am very conscious of the fact that I have the opportunity to be that for those who are coming up behind me. We do need more women who are brave enough to go in and are brave enough to do cutting edge research, to be brave enough to be on the mines and do good work. I hope to impart that heart for responsible mining and responsible engineering."​

Photo: Stellenbosch University wine biotechnologist Dr Debra Rossouw (left) with colleague Dr Margreth Tadie from the SU Department of Chemical Engineering, at the announcement of the first round of FLAIR grantees in Kenya. 

​As part of the celebration of the SciMathUS Program's 20-year anniversary, we are launching a series sharing the stories of a handful of students for whom this program has been a stepping stone in their individual success stories. Here follows Cyrilleen's story.

Cyrilleen McKay grew up in Hanover Park in the Cape Flats – an area known for gang violence, crime, unemployment and teenage pregnancies. Like many who grew up in the Flats, Cyrilleen recalls her childhood with sadness and pain. She lived in a house with her brother, two sisters, and her mother; her dad was in jail. Being an unemployed single parent, her mother struggled to support the household and – as many others in her shoes – turned to alcohol abuse. “We had to take care of ourselves for most of our childhood. The community luckily also stepped in to help raise us. If it wasn't for discarded fruit and vegetables in bins outside the market, we knocked on the neighbours' doors for a plate of food."

Throughout her years at school, Cyrilleen was ostracised and ridiculed for having a darker skin than the rest of the students in the area. She views these ongoing adversities she experienced throughout her childhood as a major contributing factor towards her resilience. It further motivated her to take her future into her own hands; she was determined to leave Hanover Park. During her time in high school, her family moved in with her grandmother. Here she lived with many aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces, which made for difficult studying circumstances. To solve this problem, Cyrilleen went to the home of another woman in the community to go study. This home offered her food and a quiet space in which to study; in her matric year, she moved there.

Despite this move, Cyrilleen's matric marks were poor. “I still remember how I cried when I received my results. What could I do with these marks?" With 30% for both Mathematics and Physical Sciences, the chances of getting accepted at a university were small. The woman she was staying with at the time encouraged her to apply at SciMathUS (the Science and Maths at the University of Stellenbosch bridging course). In spite of her marks being below the minimum requirements and her application being late, Cyrilleen was very surprised to hear that she was accepted.

In 2011, Cyrilleen then found herself on the Stellenbosch University campus. With the start of the program, she lost her self-confidence. She didn't know how to use a calculator or to switch on a computer. It was an immense adjustment and it took her a long time to find her feet. She was so scared of failing, she didn't use her food stipends from fear she would have to pay that money back. It is then that she decided to challenge herself continually, which led to an improvement of 34% for her Mathematics and 44% for Physical Sciences giving her a respective outcome of 64% and 74%. With this, Cyrilleen was accepted to the Life Sciences Extended Degree program.

Due to the knowledge and experience she had gained at SciMathUS, the tables were now turned. Her understanding of Maths and Physical Sciences enabled her to keep up easily and even tutor her peers. Her marks were high and her confidence was up. In her third year, she was accepted for the Anatomy Program, one for which only 10 students are selected. After graduating in 2015 and finishing her Honours degree in Anatomy, she enrolled as a Master's student in 2017. 

During her two years as M student, her sister grew very ill and Cyrilleen took her in as guardian because she was more affluent than the rest of her family. This proved a challenging time for Cyrilleen since it could derail her professional career. She was grappling with the guilt of her success next to those who remained where she came from. They went from hospital to hospital and Cyrilleen even took a teaching job in order to keep her head above water financially speaking. At the same time, the tension of her future had started to build; would she get a job after she graduated and her bursaries expired? She sent job applications far and wide, and started to volunteer as a Mathematics tutor at her alma mater, Crystal Secondary School, to keep busy during this fruitless time.

Months after submitting her application there, the University of the Western Cape contacted her about a post they were reconsidering. Was she still interested? With the fact that she had forgotten about the application, the call was a big surprise, and an even greater happiness. Thus, in November 2019, Cyrilleen began as an Anatomy Officer on the UWC campus and quickly became aware of the positive impact she could have on the dental students she worked with. “I want to be the friendly face who cares." The work is not only fulfilling, it also gives her the opportunity to enroll in other courses. She is currently planning to register for her PhD.

Despite this happiness and prosperity, Cyrilleen will not forget where she comes from. “Young people need good role models. There are not enough positive examples in the community that I come from. Too many children look up to gang members as examples to pursue. I want to give back to my community and set the right example for the youth." She also intends to take an active role in her sister's studies.

Cyrilleen McKay at her Master's graduation ceremony

“Opportunities are rare, but if you make the right decisions, you can come out and break the generational curse. We need more programs like SciMathUS. SciMathUS believed in me and helped me to see my own potential, to find myself. The people there have supported me, not only during my time there, but throughout my entire university career so far." Cyrilleen is the only person in her family who has passed matric. She also now has three degrees against her name. “I knew the right person at the right time. She introduced me to SciMathUS. I will be eternally grateful."

​

In 2019, many women across the country took to the streets to protest against the surge of gender-based violence (GBV).

Among these women were thousands of students who marched in response to the murders of fellow students Jesse Hess from the University of the Western Cape and Uyinene Mrwetyana from the University of Cape Town.

Katy Lund, a second-year law student at Stellenbosch University (SU), felt especially triggered by the murder and rape of Mrwetyana, as they shared mutual friends who were also deeply affected by her death.

“After Uyinene's death, I felt angry and frustrated about what happened. I took part in the protests against gender-based violence but realised I was an awful protester and I came away feeling useless. Protests play such a huge part in bringing about change, but I realised that there were also other things I could do," Lund recalls.

After seeking advice from various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Western Cape and especially her high school history teacher, Lund decided to start the non-profit organisation (NPO), Guard Our Girls, which raises funds to purchase and distribute pepper spray canisters in especially disadvantaged communities across Cape Town.

Lund works very closely with the NGO MOSAIC in Khayelitsha that helps her NPO to distribute the pepper sprays and facilitate workshops to educate women on how to use them.

“There were some ideas on distributing pepper sprays on campus and I am often asked why I don't just distribute on campus, but I think that there is an undeniable poverty that plagues South Africa. I feel there are many communities that have been left behind and it is our duty to go back in those communities to help them."

Guard Our Girls also sells necklaces and bracelets made in collaboration with Stellenbosch company Jabali Handmade to help raise the funds to distribute more pepper sprays.

So far, Lund has received help and donations from James Kilgour, the man behind Linvar (Pty) Ltd where she sources the products, as well as Flexi Air, Fire and Engineering Services.

According to Lund there is so much that people can do to help combat the many issues in the country. “Many people have discussions about the issues affecting their communities, and walk away feeling frustrated and angry about it, but people should actually mobilise that anger and use it to effect change.

“I really didn't start with much; I kind of jumped into the deep end, but sometimes it is important to just get involved in projects, to learn about them, and not be afraid to ask for help and advice. I am very grateful to all the people who has helped Guard Our Girls so far. There is still much to do, so I hope I can collaborate with more NGOs and organisations to help the fight against gender-based violence."

For more information on how to donate or get involved at Guard Our Girls, visit their website at http://www.guardourgirls.com/. 

​When participating in short courses for their own professional development, teachers at remote rural schools should be supported via WhatsApp groups to help them overcome many of the challenges they face.

This is one of the main findings of a recent doctoral study at Stellenbosch University (SU).

“WhatsApp groups, as virtual communities of practice (VCoPs), could support the professional development of teachers, provide organisational support to implement the new knowledge and skills in the classroom, and ultimately have a positive impact on the performance of learners," says Dr Pauline Hanekom, a Life Sciences Facilitator and ICT Coordinator at SU's Centre for Pedagogy (SUNCEP). She recently obtained her doctorate in Curriculum Studies at SU.

Pointing to previous research, which showed how WhatsApp groups can support the creation of networks between teachers in rural areas, Hanekom says her study “highlighted the value of such groups for those teachers who are far from other short course participants and in many cases are the only Natural or Life Sciences teachers in their respective schools."

Hanekom says communities of practice (CoPs) are used globally to offer professional learning support to in-service teachers in these types of courses.

“An example of a CoP could be a group of teachers who share a concern about the educational needs of their learners, and who feel the need to deepen their knowledge and expertise by joining a teacher professional learning CoP. In this CoP they can interact on an ongoing basis, sharing and reflecting on lesson plans, sharing videos of lessons, interesting learner interactions and assessment tasks. They could also discuss educational challenges and lend moral and even physical support to each other."

“What we've found, however, is that virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) are being used more and more in situations where the physical remoteness of schools affects the feasibility of physical CoPs. However, little is known about the ways in which VCoPs can support participants or how they can effectively be designed, implemented and maintained."

Hanekom says the feedback from the participants in her study showed that they perceived WhatsApp groups to be very effective as VCoPs. 

“The students commented on how the groups allowed them to discuss and solve academic issues raised during the course, as well as their own teaching. It also allowed them to keep in contact, even though they stayed hundreds of kilometres apart. They could even plan the sharing of their often limited science resources for practical activities with each other. 

"They could also share their practical skills through photos and videos from their classrooms. As, in some of the groups, subject advisors from the education departments formed part of the VCoP, they could easily assist the students with policy and school curriculum issues." 

As part of her study, Hanekom created three WhatsApp groups consisting of in-service, qualified teachers in Natural (Grade 7-9) and Life Sciences (Grade 10-12), education department officials and course facilitators. The teachers in each group attended teacher professional learning (TPL) short courses that took place in three cycles. The first group participated in a five-month course, while groups two and three each participated in courses of four months.

To test the effectiveness of WhatsApp as a VCoP, Hanekom interviewed the participants and asked them to complete a questionnaire. She analysed this data, along with their WhatsApp group messages exchanged during the respective course cycles.

During the first cycle, participants could speak freely about any relevant TPL short course content and were allowed to post messages of mutual encouragement and even off-subject content, e.g. social conversations. During the second cycle they were discouraged to post off-subject content. They shared questions or problems that they encountered during the course and while teaching the TPL short course material. The third cycle was a highly structured VCoP guided by the facilitator. Via the WhatsApp group, participants could also ask questions or pose problems that they encountered when teaching the TPL short course material.

Hanekom says the WhatsApp groups also served to relay logistical arrangements for practical online sessions, and served as a discussion platform (during the broadcasts) on which participants could share their thoughts and input, as well as photos of their participation. 

She also developed a set of design principles that consider the conditions that could lead to the success or failure of WhatsApp VCoPs. In this regard, Hanekom points to the Department of Higher Education and Department of Basic Education, which called for a set of guidelines to not only support the creation of, but also aid in the optimisation of VCoPs.

“Even though teachers use WhatsApp as a messaging service to parents and learners, many have been hesitant to use it as a platform for a virtual community of practice, as they, until now, did not have such a set of guidelines."

“The design principles can also inform the use of VCoPs in all future TPL courses at SUNCEP," adds Hanekom.

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES ONLY

Dr Pauline Hanekom

Centre for Pedagogy

Faculty of Education

Stellenbosch University

Tel: 021 808 9197

Email: pwh@sun.ac.za; pwhanekom@gmail.com  

ISSUED BY

Martin Viljoen

Manager: Media

Corporate Communication

Stellenbosch University

Tel: 021 808 4921

Email: viljoenm@sun.ac.za

  ​

“On World TB Day and during World TB month, the global community is appropriately focusing on the rapidly evolving global COVID-19 pandemic. The care of already vulnerable families and children affected by tuberculosis, including MDR-TB, should however not be neglected during this critical time."

This is the message from Professor Anneke Hesseling, Director of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). The university is leading a large new project valued at R280 million (US$18.9 million) that is developing child-friendly treatments and preventative therapy against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Currently, treatment regimens for children are long, complex, toxic and poorly tolerated. A lack of high-quality evidence limits access to much-needed treatments that could prevent TB disease from developing in most of these children.

“Children have been largely neglected to date in the global response to MDR-TB and they deserve better," said project lead, Professor Anthony Garcia-Prats from the University of Wisconsin Madison and the DTTC.

Work has already begun on BENEFIT Kids – which stands for Better Evidence and Formulations for Improved MDR-TB Treatment for Children.  This multi-pronged research project is designed to address critical gaps in research and the lack of child-friendly formulations to improve treatment for children with MDR-TB. The project was made possible with support and funding from Unitaid, an international organisation that invests in innovations to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, tuberculosis and malaria more quickly, affordably and effectively.

“The goal of this ambitious project is to contribute to overall reduced morbidity and mortality of children with MDR-TB through better access to improved MDR-TB prevention and treatment methods. In order to do this, we will conduct five clinical treatment and prevention trials and complete two systematic reviews on evidence of MDR-TB treatment between 2019 and 2022," said Hesseling, who is co-leading the project.  “We will also work with strategic global partners with unique competencies, including the TB Alliance, to develop more child friendly medicines for children affected by MDR-TB."

New evidence resulting from the project will be rapidly shared with the World Health Organisation and other key stakeholders to inform dosing and treatment guidelines in children.

The BENEFIT Kids project aims to achieve these objectives by:

• Strengthening the evidence on optimal dosing, safety, efficacy, acceptability and costs of medications for treatment and prevention of MDR-TB in children, which is an important step in creating policies that can impact clinical care.
• Developing child-friendly formulations for MDR-TB treatment and preventive therapies that taste better, are of appropriate strength and can also be given to young children who cannot swallow tablets.
• Shaping the market for these better formulations for kids.

"Developing child-friendly formulations for MDR-TB and shaping the market for these new cutting-edge medicines is key for Unitaid," said Dr Philippe Duneton, Unitaid's executive director. “The Unitaid-funded BENEFIT Kids project aims to make this a reality and help address the needs of thousands of underserved children."

The BENEFIT Kids project is operating in three countries, namely South Africa, India and the Philippines, and SU is working with several key partners, including the TB Alliance, University of California San Francisco (United States), Johns Hopkins University (United States), De La Salle University Medical Centre (Philippines), BJ Medical College (India), Uppsala University (Sweden) and Chiang Mai University (Thailand).

​CLICK HERE TO WATCH: Video about BENEFIT Kids

Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa and AzarGen Biotechnologies (Pty) Ltd, a South African biotechnology company focused on developing human therapeutic proteins using advanced genetic engineering and synthetic biology techniques in plants, have joined forces in the global fight against the coronavirus.

In the hope of contributing towards assisting treatment of patients with severe effects related to the condition, the collaboration will see the partners further develop SynSurf®, a synthetic pharmaceutical to be tested as a supportive agent for the treatment of Acute/Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Based on the latest research, ARDS has been cited as one of the major reasons that COVID-19 patients become critically ill and/or die.

SynSurf® was initially developed and tested (preclinically) for the treatment of neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (nRDS), a condition where some premature babies struggle to breathe due to collapsed lung sacs, as well as treatment for acute lung injury in adults.

SynSurf® was developed by a team led by Profs Johan Smith, Johan van Zyl and Pieter van der Bijl of SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Science. From AzarGen Biotechnologies' side, the collaborative team will be complemented by co-founders Drs Mauritz Venter and Cobus Zwiegelaar.

Synthetic, non-animal derived version of lung surfactant

Prof Smith, who obtained a PhD in synthetic lung surfactant development, started his research to design, develop and test a local surfactant formulation in 1995 already, but in all earnest between 1999 and 2005.

“The initial aim changed somewhat when the researchers developed an improved formulation which could compete with commercially available surfactants (that was proven in experimental animal studies)," says Smith.

“However, since commercially available surfactant is very expensive, its cost has to date precluded adult patients from being treated. SynSurf® is composed of pure chemical substances which overcomes the cost issue to a great extent and almost excludes batch-to-batch variation issues as one expects with mammalian (animal) derived formulations. SynSurf® in experimental animals has not shown any toxicity or adverse effects," explains Smith.

He says SynSurf® requires testing in humans and if the laboratory tests and experimental work are any indication, the product has huge potential to ameliorate and/or treat both new-born and adult lung conditions. “Other than replacing and supporting either a deficiency in lung surfactant, as found in premature new-borns, SynSurf® has the potential to strengthen poorly functioning lung surfactant, such as found in severe adult acute lung injury related to serious COVID-19 and other bacterial infections."

He adds that specific laboratory work with SynSurf® has shown that it decreases inflammation and factors inducing inflammation in the lung. This aspect of SynSurf® could be “exploited" to suppress inflammation accompanying serious lung conditions such as those related to SARS, Swine Flu and COVID-19 lung infections.

Anita Nel, Chief Director of Innovation and Business Development, who heads up Innovus, SU's industry interaction platform for the commercialisation of the Institution's assets, says they are pleased that SU can work with AzarGen to develop SynSurf® to advance this important surfactant product into practical use and possibly help alleviate the effects of COVID-19 lung infections.

“We need to focus on getting SynSurf® to the patient," adds Venter, CEO of AzarGen: “Regulatory oversight and resource allocation for all development aspects, including manufacturing, preclinical and clinical testing, for this project is now a high priority."

About AzarGen

The AzarGen management team is supported by an experienced advisory board. Scientific innovation at AzarGen is funded by South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Based in Stellenbosch and housed at the Stellenbosch University's LaunchLab business incubator company, AzarGen is known for developing a biosimilar version of an anti-cancer monoclonal antibody and a recombinant human surfactant protein targeted for various respiratory disease conditions.​

​The article Covid-19 opens a window of opportunity to roll out mass testing for other diseases​ by Vuyiseka Dubula and Tracey Naledi was published in the Maverick Citizen of the Daily Maverickon 15 April 2020:

Mass screening and testing could be as comprehensive as possible by offering a concoction of screening for TB, HIV and other underlying medical conditions. In that way, we will help to prevent the deaths of those with the underlying disease who may get Covid-19 in the future.

South Africa has been hit by Covid-19 on top of a quadruple burden: infectious diseases like TB and HIV; chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and mental illnesses; malnutrition, maternal and childhood diseases; and violence, including gender-based violence.

Emily Wong from the Africa Health Research Institute in KwaZulu-Natal has highlighted the “colliding epidemics" of TB, HIV and Covid-19 in South Africa and the higher risk of severe disease in these patients, especially if the disease is not controlled by treatment. 

Even though South Africa has one of the biggest antiretroviral (ARV) programmes, we still have about 2.5 million HIV-positive people who are not on ARVs and thus potentially at high risk. What could count in our favour is that our population profile is much younger than countries like Italy and UK that have been hard hit by Covid-19. We know that the fatality rate in those aged over 60 years increases exponentially by age and is exacerbated by underlying medical conditions. The fatality rate for those aged over 80 years is 14.8% compared to a 3.4% average fatality rate for all age groups. 

Countries with more resourced health systems and healthier populations than South Africa are grappling to cope with the impact of Covid-19 on their health systems. In South Africa, Covid-19 puts additional pressure on our already under-resourced and overstretched public health system. 

There are already concerns that some provinces are restricting normal primary health care services such as sexual reproductive health services and prioritising maternal and emergency services. 

We argue that, on the contrary, this “colliding of epidemics" calls for a comprehensive response that includes the very necessary public health interventions of identifying those with Covid-19 and their contacts, and managing them and ensuring that we manage our current burden of disease instead of falling yet again into the default fault lines of verticalisation. 

What measures has SA put in place to address Covid-19?

The South African government, like many African countries, is taking drastic steps to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic by putting in place globally recommended public health measures to slow down or delay the spread of the virus and to provide an economic and social safety net for its citizens. 

Researchers from the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University have developed a country stringency index (0-100) to the response to Covid-19. This scores the stringency of countries' responses to the pandemic and assesses the impact of these on the pandemic. South Africa is one of the 77 countries in their first publication and was in a group of countries whose index was 80-100, meaning that we have some of the most stringent measures.

Of course, this index says little about how well these measures are adapted for the local context, how these measures are responsive to the needs of citizens, especially those who are poor and marginalised, how impactful these measures will be in the long run and what unintended consequences they will have, especially in poor and marginalised groups. 

Reports from the US have highlighted the disproportionate impact this disease will have on the poor. In Chicago, the African-American population accounted for 70% of all Covid-19 cases in the city and 50% of cases in the state, despite this group making up only 30% of the population. This is due to overcrowding in urban areas and this group working in essential industries and thus not able to stay at home.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the rolling out of Covid-19 community screening door-to-door starting this past week using a social vulnerability index to target the most vulnerable communities. We know that mass testing was part of the successes seen in China and South Korea. In South Korea there was rapid scaling of testing to 5,500 tests for every one million people. Tests were readily available, free with doctors' prescriptions, available publicly and privately, drive-through services were provided, and there was contact tracing with targeted testing of contacts and monitoring of infected persons, supported by technology with a government app. 

South Africa is planning to increase testing capacity by using Gene-Expert technology and mobile technology for contact tracing. 

So what is the problem?

While we welcome the proposed testing measures, we think South Africans need to reflect on lessons from the HIV and Ebola responses in particular. The recent article by Nathan Geffen on “How many people could die of Covid-19 in South Africa?" in GroundUp quoted work from researchers projecting that we could see 94,835 to 239,610 deaths in South Africa per year due to Covid-19. He reminds us that we have been here before in 2005 where 285,000 died from AIDS. We have learnt from large-scale testing for HIV that this works best when it's done comprehensively. 

We know that there are many in South Africa living with HIV/TB/mental illness/gender-based violence/chronic diseases. We have learnt that it does not serve us to verticalise. Not only does it not allow us to provide person-centred care, but it brings with it immense stigma. 

South Africa has been practising comprehensive screening and testing for some time now. We believe that this is not the time to abandon that strategy, which was crafted through many years of experience. We do not need to repeat the mistakes of the past. When epidemics strike, fear, anxiety and despair can be agonising. We saw this during Liberia's Ebola epidemic and in the HIV epidemic.  

Things we think could be considered

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has publicly said that he thinks between 60-70% of us will get this disease and that most people will have mild symptoms. However, those who are older and have underlying conditions will have severe illness that could lead to death. All that the lockdown measures are doing is to flatten the curve so that we can buy ourselves some time to prepare the health system and, hopefully, find a cure or a vaccine in about 18 months' time, if we are lucky. 

We could test for Covid-19, pat ourselves on the back, and count the number of people who do not have the disease and see that as a victory. Alternatively, we can also make sure that we use this crisis to catalyse our efforts to find people who are HIV-positive, have active TB, uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension who are not on treatment and link them to care.

Mass screening and testing in the South African context could be as comprehensive as possible by offering a concoction of screening for TB, HIV and other underlying medical conditions. In that way we help to prevent the deaths of those with underlying disease who may get Covid-19 in the future. Furthermore, this will address stigma, as people will know that there is a mass health screening and linkage to care. 

We could maximise the use of the data centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) by integrating it with USSD technology or other technologies to screen people in SA for the coronavirus, HIV and TB and underlying medical risks. This will allow us to prepare them for the high likelihood that they will get the virus at some point in the near future. Our door-to-door measures could be targeted at those we think require a test for Covid-19, and when positive we should support them to self-isolate, find their contacts and medically manage and monitor those affected, offering rights literacy, engaging in discussions about primary violence prevention, and distributing chronic medication. 

Moreover, during lockdown we have captive audiences of population groups we often struggle to reach. We are likely to find more men than usual at home and at designated essential services workplaces. Young people also often respond well to solutions that use technology, especially if these also provide useful information back to them to increase their agency to practise health-promoting behaviours.

We could be using medical and other health sciences students to help look at health records of all our known patients with serious comorbid diseases. We could ensure people have access to their medication, are in conditions where they can practise physical distancing, monitor them and ensure quick access to health services and other social services if required. 

This comprehensive response will require a South African multi-sectoral response, including civic organisations, to reach all communities. State security forces could also support these health responses and not just be assigned military tasks. We must, however, innovate on creating community-based models of care that will allow us to increase treatment of HIV, TB, diabetes and hypertension quickly. 

Even though we understand that health workers are overstretched now with the current crisis, we must realise that this is just like one finger on a leaking bucket. If we want to seal the bucket, we must find all those who have underlying conditions and make sure they receive care before they contract Covid-19.

We must refuse to be defined by the conditions we face, no matter how depressing they seem – we should choose to be defined by our response. We must plan for the aftermath and the societal rebuilding period for  communities most affected by Covid-19. What we do can leave a lasting legacy in the building of resilience in our health response and ensure agency in our people.

• Vuyiseka Dubula-Majola is the director of the Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at Stellenbosch University and is the former general secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign.
• Tracey Naledi is a public health specialist and the former chief director of Health Programmes in the Western Cape Department of Health and a PhD candidate at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation.
• Photo by Ibrahim Boran on Unsplash
  
  

Fruit export companies and farmers in the Western Cape don't just have to deal with the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; they also have to do battle with the grain chinch bug which has become a thorn in their side. Considered a hitchhiker pest that moves from wild grasses and wheat to various deciduous fruit cultivars, it contaminates the harvest and causes huge economic losses.

“Fruit exporters can, however, win the battle against the bug by fumigating plums, pears and peaches with the safe chemical ethyl formate without negatively affecting the quality of the fruit," says Dr Renate Smit, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University (SU). She obtained her doctorate in Entomology at SU recently.

Smit says it's important to find alternative postharvest treatments that are more environmentally friendly and effective because low-temperature treatment against pests like the grain chinch bug can have a negative effect on fruit quality. She adds that the pesticide methyl bromide, which was used to control a wide range of pests on different types of fruit with great success, has been banned.

“Alternative technologies are crucial for our agricultural export industries to continue pest-free fruit trade, and maintain and expand international trade, especially if one considers that approximately 45% of the total production volumes are being exported to foreign markets."

“Controlling the grain chinch bug is important because during the 2017/2018 season approximately 1800 cartons of pears earmarked for the USA were rejected due to contamination with grain chinch bug. In the same season, a consignment of peaches was placed on hold due to this pest."

As part of her study, Smit investigated the potential of CATTS (Controlled Atmosphere Temperature Treatment System) and ethyl formate fumigation as ways to control the grain chinch bug. CATTS technology uses exposure to high temperatures for short periods, in combination with reduced oxygen and elevated carbon dioxide levels which disrupts the respiration of insects and ultimately kills them.

Smit found that CATTS treatment didn't have the desired effect because the grain chinch bug was able to tolerate high temperatures and a controlled atmosphere. High-temperature treatments also had a negative impact on fruit quality.

To initially determine the effectiveness of ethyl formate, she placed grain chin bugs in perforated microcentrifuge tubes which were then placed inside conical laboratory flasks, sealed with a stopper to create small fumigation chambers.

Smit used ethyl formate concentrations of between 0 and 150 grams per cubic meter (g/m³) to determine how the insects would respond. Concentrations of between 0 and 150 g/m³ were also applied to test the effect of ethyl formate fumigation on fruit quality in conjunction with insect mortality to determine at what threshold the chemical would become toxic to each fruit type and cultivar.

“Our experiments showed that a minimum concentration of 50 g/m³ for an hour is required to kill the grain chinch bug when fumigating with ethyl formate, this concentration has proved effective when upscaling to larger volumes such as shipping containers as well," says Smit.

“Increasing the applied concentration to 100 g/m³ allowed the fumigant to penetrate and disperse within the packaging, killing all of the insects placed with packaged fruit. These results indicate that a higher concentration of ethyl formate was required to kill the grain chinch bug when it contaminates packaged fruit.

“A concentration of 50 g/m³ could, therefore, be applied to control grain chinch bug in unpackaged fruit, while 85 g/m³ should be sufficient for packaged fruit."

Regarding fruit quality, Smit says the flavour of stone and pome fruit cultivars that were subjected to a taste assessment didn't change.

“Ethyl formate fumigation provides an alternative method of control and would be much easier to apply commercially to control the grain chinch bug. The application of this technology will enable market expansion and allow access to markets currently closed due to this pest."

She points out that ethyl formate has been used as a disinfestation treatment to control dried fruit pests since the 1920s as well as in commercial manufacturing of artificial flavourings for essences and soft drinks, such as lemonade.

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES ONLY

Dr Renate Smit

Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology

Faculty of AgriSciences

Stellenbosch University

Email: rsmit@sun.ac.za

ISSUED BY

Martin Viljoen

Manager: Media

Corporate Communication

Stellenbosch University

Tel: 021 808 4921

Email: viljoenm@sun.ac.za

Students often face many mental health problems and don't always get the support they need. And with the disruptions and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, chances are their mental disorders could get worse.

To assess the mental health and support needs of South Africa's undergraduate students, a national survey, initiated by Universities South Africa, was launched on April 9. Funded by the South African Medical Research Council, the project has been endorsed by vice-chancellors and deans of students at a number of universities. The research forms part of the World Health Organization's World Mental Health International College Student Initiative, an international network of experts working to promote the mental health of university students across the globe.

“The nationally co-ordinated student survey is a response to the growing awareness locally and internationally of the need for campus-based programmes to promote the psychosocial health of students and close the treatment gap," says Prof Jason Bantjes from the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University (SU), and principal investigator of the national student survey. He and colleagues from SU's Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry worked on the project together with researchers from the University of Cape Town and Harvard University.

“The national student survey is important, particularly at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when many students will be feeling stressed about the disruption of their studies and anxious about the social and economic implications of the current international health crises."

Bantjes says invitations to participate in the survey have already been sent via email to students at the University of Johannesburg, Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University and Mangosuthu University of Technology. Students at Wits University were enrolled this week and other universities will be added over the next two weeks, with the hopes of reaching all undergraduate students studying at publicly funded universities in the country.

According to Bantjes, the anonymous online survey is about more than just establishing current levels of distress. It has been designed to assess student support needs, their history of psycho-social problems, and mental health risk and protective factors.

“The survey also measures exposure to trauma, food insecurity and gender-based violence on university campuses. Crucially, the survey will provide information about students' resilience, access to treatment, as well as their preferences for and attitudes towards psychosocial services and interventions. The data collected will help mount appropriate public mental health strategies to promote student wellness and to plan and test campus-based interventions."

Highlighting the need for such a survey, Bantjes points to studies which have shown that as many as 31% of students reported a common mental disorder in the past 12 months. He adds that the most frequent problems faced by students are depression, anxiety and attention difficulties. 

“Data from a recent South African study shows that in the past 12 months, 20,8% of first-year students had clinically significant problems with anxiety, and 13,6% had problems with depression. These mental health problems have a range of adverse effects including impaired social functioning, academic failure and suicide."

“Data recently collected from first-year students at two large South African universities showed that 30,6% had thoughts of suicide in the past 12 months, while 16,6% had made a suicide plan, and 2,4% attempted suicide."

According to Bantjes, these rates are markedly higher than those typically found in the country's general population.  He says there are no accurate data about the number of students in South Africa who complete suicide, but anecdotal evidence suggests that suicide deaths among students are also a cause for serious concern. “While rates of psychological distress are high among students, treatment rates are low. Between 20 and 30% of students with mental health problems receive treatment." 

Bantjes says these low rates of treatment are partly due to a lack of access to services, but undergraduate students are also often strongly disinclined to seek formal treatment from a mental health professional, preferring instead to access psychosocial support from friends, family or via self-help.

“Patterns of mental health service utilisation among students are also shaped by the cultural appropriateness of services and students' perception of their need for services." 

Bantjies says research of this kind is needed to ensure that prevention strategies are correctly tailored and sharply focused to reach students most at risk. “This is particularly important given that mental health resources in South Africa are scarce and universities in the country face considerable resource constraints."

He encourages all undergraduate students to participate in the survey, adding that the details will be posted on internal electronic student forums.

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES ONLY

Prof Jason Bantjes

Principal Investigator: Caring Universities Research Project

Department of Psychology

Stellenbosch University

Email: jbantjes@sun.ac.za 

ISSUED BY

Martin Viljoen

Manager: Media

Corporate Communication

Stellenbosch University

Tel: 021 808 4921

Email: viljoenm@sun.ac.za

The University of Stellenbosch Business School has appointed Prof Mark Smith (49), currently Dean of Faculty at the Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France, as its new Director. Prof Smith will take up this position in October 2020.

Prof Smith is a seasoned academic and highly acclaimed researcher who is skilled in the dissemination of academic knowledge. Over several years, he has published in or made contributions to well over 70 academic books and journals. His research areas include youth employment policy, the integration of ethics across the business world, gender and the labour market, the role of business in social innovation, and the transition from education to employment.

At present, he is leading over 160 permanent academics. In his previous role, he was Director of one of the largest European doctoral schools for management sciences.

Says Prof Ingrid Woolard, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University, “Prof Smith brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in areas that align well with USB's academic focus areas and vision for the school. USB, its faculty, students and alumni operate in a globally connected world. Fresh perspectives from another world region will help to ensure that we, and our graduates, remain relevant." USB forms part of Stellenbosch University, the leading research university in Africa.

Prof Smith has considerable experience in leading large-scale research projects for, among others, the European Commission and global foundations. These investigations cover topics such as pay transparency, youth labour, women on executive boards, and the improvement of living and working conditions.

According to Prof Woolard, this will serve USB well as closer collaboration with the business sector and commissioned research are strategically important to the business school.

Prof Smith is an active member of the Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM) initiative led by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and the USA-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). He is also an expert advisor to various European organisations and foundations. Both USB and Prof Smith's current school hold the three major international accreditations, namely AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA.

Says Prof Smith, “I am thrilled to be joining this leading triple-accredited business school, recognised in Africa and worldwide for its commitment to promoting a societal impact via business research and education. For me, the personal and professional challenge of coming to South Africa and contributing to Stellenbosch University's vision to be the leading research-intensive university on the continent is very exciting".

Prof Smith has two children. He is passionate about the outdoors, enjoying running and cycling. He is also looking forward to sampling the rich cultural life of Cape Town and South Africa.

• Photo supplied.
  
  

Campus Health Service would like to vaccinate as many staff and students as possible with the flu vaccine in 2020, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the need to maintain the health of all staff and students of SU.

A flu shot won't prevent coronavirus, but it could help our response to the outbreak.  Fewer cases of the flu mean more resources available to fight COVID-19.  If people get their flu shots, fewer people come down with the flu and come into clinics with symptoms such as fever and cough, which overlap with the symptoms of COVID-19.  Having fewer flu patients will make it easier to find the patients with COVID-19.  Higher vaccination rates would make us much more efficient in detecting coronavirus cases.

In South Africa, flu circulation is highly seasonal and circulates during the winter. The average season starts during the first week of June; however, it could start as early as April or as late as July. For the South Africa influenza season, the optimal time for vaccination is around March/April each year. The vaccine is effective after 10 to 14 days, so it is important that the vaccine is administered in time for the flu season.

We urge people to consider the flu vaccination - it is the most effective way to prevent influenza as it provides immune protection against the viruses that cause influenza.  The flu vaccine stimulates your body's immune system to make antibodies to attack the flu virus. Antibodies are proteins that recognize and fight off germs, such as viruses, that have invaded your blood.  Protection from the influenza vaccine is thought to persist for at least 6 months.  Mild side effects from the flu vaccine include soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site, low-grade fever, fatigue and headache.  The flu vaccine is considered safe.  You can't catch the flu from the vaccine, because the virus in the vaccine has been killed or weakened.

Benefits of the flu vaccine

A yearly flu vaccine is the single best way to prevent the flu and its complications. Although vaccine effectiveness can vary from year to year, in general the vaccine can reduce doctors' visits for the flu by up to 60 percent. 

The flu vaccine will

• lower your likelihood of getting sick.  If you do catch the flu, it is likely to be milder than if you were not vaccinated. 
• prevent serious flu-related complications like pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma attacks. That is why it is especially important for young children, the elderly, and anyone with chronic health conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease and diabetes mellitus to get vaccinated.

Who should avoid the flu vaccine?

The flu vaccine is very effective, but it is not right for everyone. Do not get the vaccine if

• you have had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient it contains, including egg protein.
• you have had Guillain-Barre syndrome. 

Talk to your doctor if you have a weakened immune system, or if you take medicine to suppress your immune system. You may not respond as well to the vaccine.  If you are sick, you might want to put off the flu shot until you feel better.

CHS has just received stock of the flu vaccine. Please contact CHS to make an appointment for the flu vaccination.

Staff can request for their entire department or unit to get the flu vaccine at their offices and student groups such as residences can request for a nurse to administer the flu shot at their premises.

For staff: please discuss this with your line manager and contact the Occupational Health Nurse, Sr. Anneke van Heerden on 021 808 3322 or email acvanheerden@sun.ac.za

For students: please discuss this with your Res Head and get them to contact Sr. Ronita February on 021 808 9290 or email ronitaf@sun.ac.za

If you would like to make an appointment at Campus Health Service for a flu vaccination, please call reception on 021 808 3494/6 (Stellenbosch Campus) or 021 938 9590 (Tygerberg Campus).

​Topic:  Support for Online Teaching during lock-down.

Dr Krügel presents a can-do approach using Laurillard's 6 ways of learning with practical tips for doing it online in our current context. She presents the 6 ways of learning with online learning examples in SUNLearn.  She introduces free online learning designer software as a tool for constructive alignment.  It uses the storyboarding method, linking online activities to learning outcomes, considering notional hours,  and how it links to Laurillard's 6 ways of learning.  Even if lecturers have already developed online material, this can help avoid overbearing students with random activities eating up the notional hours, she says.

Date: 28 April 2020; 12h45 on MS Teams

Colleagues can send an email to Juanita Layman at jlayman@sun.ac.za to RSVP

For more information please click here

​​When the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stellenbosch University (SU) started a 3D printing laboratory about two years ago to assist surgeons in planning and rehearsing surgical procedures, they had no idea the lab would be put to use in a pandemic. 

Yet that is what's happening as staff and students work long hours to 3D print and assemble visors to be distributed and used as protective gear for those working on the frontline of fighting the COVID-19 crisis. 

Dr Rudolph Venter, an orthopaedic surgeon and lecturer in Clinical Anatomy at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) came up with the idea after the virus broke out in South Africa.

“I thought, why not put the 3D printing lab to good use by producing some kind of protective gear for the healthcare workers working with patients?" said Venter. After consultation with Tygerberg Hospital management, face shields were identified as an immediate need.

“There is a burgeoning community of people all over world using 3D printers and laser cutters to produce equipment for healthcare workers, sharing designs and refining them, all being shared freely online -  it is beautiful to see," said Venter.

He and his team downloaded a design that met a range of different criteria and started sourcing the material to make them.

“The headgear comprises a plastic headband to which you attach a clear visor, with elastic to attach it to the wearer's head. We approached local suppliers who sold sheets of clear plastic and elastic and used a few rolls of 3D printing filament that we had in stock in our lab."

The head of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor Jacques Du Toit made funding available to purchase some of the materials and kick-start the process.

“We soon realised that we were not going to make much of a difference with just one printer, so we approached the SU's Faculty of Engineering, and Prof Kristiaan Schreve, head of Mechanical Engineering, who very graciously put all the 3D Printers they could spare at our disposal," said Venter.

It didn't take long before Venter also had a network of community volunteers producing the same design on their home 3D printers. A local engineering firm, Rapid 3D donated 10 more rolls of filament and consumables for the printers being used. Another donation was from Curro schools head office, which donated 20 more of the visors.

Venter then contacted Luné Smith, a fifth-year medical student who, along with a fellow student Abdul-Mutakabit Aziz helped set up a student-volunteer initiative when the pandemic broke out in South Africa. Hundreds of medicine and health sciences students at the FMHS have opted to use their recesses to play their part in fighting the virus.

Smith runs the WeFightBack COVID committee which is involved in five student-volunteer projects, ranging from a community mask initiative; to making spacers for metered dose inhalers to use in place of nebulization to treat COVID-19 patients; to a support project for people in kangaroo mother care wards and lodger areas, as well as an education initiative relating to the virus.

Smith and her team have taken over the logistics of the 3D printing project, on top of their other projects.

“We take care of all the odd jobs, including dropping off the plastic for the community volunteers to print the masks; picking up the printed masks; picking up materials for making the visors as well as putting them together – cutting them out, measuring them and assembling the product," she said.

The students assembling the visors are working in the orthopaedic surgery department, in shifts of four or five people at a time so as to maintain social distancing.

“After our stocktake today (6 April), we are proud to report 134 visors are ready to go, with more on the way," said Smith.

“Luné and her team took the whole production line out of my hands. In fact, the whole project has been taken out of my hands by students, staff and community members who have 3D printers at home and who found out via social media how they can also assist in getting these visors made and are donating them to us. It has been so inspiring to see how much initiative these students have shown and just how hard they work," Venter said.

Smith said it feels “surreal" to be working together in the midst of a pandemic.

She said the camaraderie among the students has been “beautiful" to witness. It's been amazing to see the teamwork among staff and students alike.

“We are a country that's spent enough time hurting one another. We're now at a place where we are caring about and helping one another. This pandemic is making us face the problem together. We are all the same. It feels right," she said.

Caption: Fifth-year medical student, ​Luné Smith (right), working in the 3D printing lab with other TygerMaties student volunteers. 

​

TB researchers recently decided to use hip hop and rap to increase awareness about TB in the community.

The #MBHGHipHop TB intervention, which involved researchers and staff from MBHG and learners from Cedar High School of the Arts in Mitchells Plain, was aimed at raising TB awareness, and at inspiring the youth to follow careers in science.

The programme, presented by the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics (MBHG), promoted engagement and learning in science by means of the popular mediums of rap, hip hop and music.

"The placement of science within a popular culture space provided an opportunity for it to be owned by young people - rather than remaining foreign and inaccessible," said Dannielle Moore,  Communication and Marketing Officer at the MBHG.

This four-day initiative took place took place earlier this year and was hosted by 13 researchers from MBHG at the University of Stellenbosch. They volunteered to take part in this programme. This engagement project enabled scientists from the MBHG to engage with learners from the above school around the topic of tuberculosis, and how it affects the community. They also focused on the relevant research conducted in the field.

Cedar High School of the Arts is offers subjects such as Dance, Music, Visual Arts, Drama and Design. This school was chosen for the project, as one of the staff members of MBHG is a former learner from this school. Also because of where it is situated, it made it possible to widen the reach of the projects of the MBHG to beyond the Cape Winelands and Tygerberg areas, where there projects are usually run.

On Day One of the programme, learners were divided into groups of 10 and moved to five different stations. At each one they could learn more about specific aspects relating to TB, such as how it spreads, how it can be prevented, its signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, as well as more about the myths surrounding this disease. Learners received information packs and comics, as well as merchandise donated by the South African Medical Research Council.

Each group was assigned a topic, and by the end of Day One had to come up with a chorus for the song that would deliver their particular message – and record it in the pop-up studio. Day Two consisted of a talk by Mr Goodman Makanda from TB Proof. He is a #TBchampion and disease advocate, and he shared his TB journey with the learners. They had to draw some images based on what the talk meant to them.

Learners were also given masks (like the ones healthcare workers and TB patients use) to wear for two hours to give them an idea of what it felt like.

On Days Three and Four the learners recorded their lyrics for the songs, and used the time to develop some dance moves and short skits for inclusion in their performance at the final event on the last day.

"This was not a competition and creating awareness was the main aim of the initiative," said Moore.

This final day was all about the music, and allowed learners to take ownership of what they had learnt and created.  This day made time for sound and lighting checks, dress rehearsals and venue set-up. As this school is art-centred, learners were in a domain familiar to them, which made it easier for them to connect with the material and make it their own. Learners performed their tracks live to select classes of the school and to invited community members in order to spread the message about what they had learnt through the popular medium of music.

By the end of this programme, the learners had conceptualised, produced and performed five original rap and hip hop songs, which conveyed key messages about TB that they felt were important for the community to know. The content of these songs was based on their interaction with the staff and students of the MBHG. By means of this engagement the learners moved from a place of not knowing much about TB and research efforts to combat its prevalence, to becoming empowered advocates for the cause.

The funders of this event included the Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Science Social Impact Fund and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research.

An MSc student in zoology at Stellenbosch University, Celeste de Kock, has been accepted for an MSc in Science Communication at Imperial College, currently rated as one of the top ten universities in the world.

The MSc in Science Communication at Imperial College was introduced in 1991, and accepts only 45-50 students per year.

De Kock says she originally planned to study visual arts, but changed her mind in Grade 11 after an introduction to botany and zoology during a Maties Science Winter Week: “I have always had a love for nature and especially the classification of plants and animals, and the beauty of form and function. So when they took us into the Natural Sciences Building during the Science Winterweek, I became so excited I just knew this was what I wanted to do."

However, during her studies she realised that there was little opportunity for creative expression: “I have always been interested in a wide range of topics, and am always looking for ways to combine science and the visual arts. But there is often little scope for creativity in science, and because of the academic culture of publishing in scholarly journals, most of the science is lost to the public. The purpose of science is to ultimately deepen our understanding of the world around us and, where relevant, to use it as a tool to improve our lives. I believe that this knowledge should be accessible and understandable to all.

“Art can be used to bridge the gap between the public and raw science. Showcasing and explaining amazing science with eye-catching visuals, through videos, infographics and exhibitions, often makes more of an impact when compared to the written or spoken word," she adds.

The one-year full-time course offers a balance between theoretical and practical modules, combined with an internship. De Kock says she is especially excited about the internship opportunities provided by the course, which includes partners such as New Scientist, Nature and the Science Museum, London.

For now she is applying for funding to support her studies at Imperial College, and hopefully she will be able to join the class in person, starting 1 October 2020.

De Kock says more BSc-students should consider science communication as a career: “Do not assume that a career in the natural sciences is limited to research only. Science communication offers a creative, interdisciplinary career outside academia and offers so many options in television, radio, journalism, museums, digital media and policymaking," she concludes.

This article was originally published on Spotlight. Read the full article here.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize recommended that members of the public wear cloth face masks of at least three layers. In so doing, Mkhize gave much needed direction on an issue that created much uncertainty.

What is the big deal about masks?

The question as to whether members of the public should be wearing face masks during the global pandemic has been hotly debated globally, with experts expressing divergent views, different countries and authorities giving conflicting advice, ranging from “avoid wearing masks for people who are well", across the spectrum of “use cautiously", to advocating widespread face mask use for the general population.

In South Africa to date, the messaging has until now been consistent with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation that the only people who needed to wear face masks, outside the healthcare setting, were people who were ill or those who were treating them. A flurry of confusion arose when transport regulations issued under the Disaster Management Act required passengers using public transport to wear masks. Subsequently a policy guideline was issued on 2 April by Western Cape Department of Health, indicating that as the epidemic unfolds, the wider use of masks is indicated even for people who are not ill, especially if they move around in public. And finally on 10 April the National Department of Health recommended the widespread use of cloth masks.

What are the issues under debate?

Arguments against mass mask use:

• We need to save valuable face masks for health professionals, especially given global shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE).

• People don't use them properly, either leaving nose uncovered, or touching the mask during use or removal, therefore risking transfer of virus to hands, eyes, nose and surfaces.

• People find them uncomfortable and thus don't wear them most of the time, defeating the point of mask-wearing.

• Inappropriate disposal may cause harm, as moist and unwashed masks containing Sars-CoV-2 may become a vector for transmission.

• Used too early in the epidemic, mask-wearing may result in compliance fatigue later at high prevalence levels when it may be of greatest benefit.

• Stigma may be associated with face mask use, either because it identifies the wearer as contagious, or as a hoarder.

• Mask-wearing provides incomplete protection for the wearer especially without eye protection.

• Face masks provide a false sense of security, so wearers may reduce the other measures, like hand-washing and social distancing, and end up taking more risks.

Similarly, there are also arguments for universal use of face-masks• Any additional, even partial, reduction of transmission would be advantageous to slowing the epidemic.

• Used in combination with other measures, mask-wearing can assist to “flatten the curve" and reduce the speed at which the virus spreads.

• Face masks may provide protection where physical distancing is not possible due to socio-economic circumstances, such as informal settlements, and where hand-washing is difficult due to inadequate water supply and sanitation.

• Mask-wearing may protect against asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission, a concerning trend noted in recent weeks.

• Mask-wearing may act as a symbol of hope, shared responsibility and collective action to a life altering pandemic.

Understanding the spread of COVID-19 and how masks might stop the spread

COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and spreads from person-to-person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and from touching contaminated surfaces. Reducing transmission therefore revolves around preventing person-to-person spread, by avoiding close contact (physical distancing), and using infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, including hand-hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks.

Droplets sprayed during coughing, sneezing or exhaling can be blocked by a face mask, to a greater and lesser degree dependent on the type of face mask. Face masks are critical in healthcare settings to protect healthcare workers from becoming infected when treating known and unknown cases. Knowing that PPE including face masks help protect health care workers, it appears a logical next step to promote face mask wearing in community settings to prevent transmission in the general population.

But, does it work at a population level?

Extrapolating from health care worker protection, the assumption is that “my mask protects me", in other words, the wearer is protected from being infected by a positive case. Whereas it is in fact more likely that the greatest benefit as a public health measure is that “my mask protects you, your mask protects me", in other words, the wearer is taking the precaution that they may be positive and ensuring that they do not spread it to others.

What does the science say?

Limited evidence is available about COVID-19 and public health prevention measures given that the epidemic is only 100 days old globally. We therefore consider scientific evidence of similar viruses and illnesses such as influenza to guide us.

The evidence for “my mask protects me".

• In the laboratory setting, all types of masks reduced aerosol exposure to a simulated infectious agent, with N95 respirators more efficient than surgical masks, which were more efficient than home-made masks.

• In the community setting, three cluster randomised trials evaluated the effectiveness of medical masks versus no masks for protecting wearers from acquiring influenza-like infection. Together these trials provide evidence of low certainty that medical masks may reduce the chance of infection by 8% compared to no masks.

The evidence for “my mask protects you, your mask protects me".

• In the laboratory setting, a recent study involving 246 patients demonstrated that face masks significantly reduced the detection of Sars-CoV-2 in the exhaled breath of Covid-19 patients.

• In the household setting, four cluster trials evaluated the effectiveness of medical masks versus no masks for protecting household members from acquiring infection from a household member who was ill with confirmed influenza-like illness. Together these trials provide low certainty evidence that medical masks may reduce the chance of infection by 12% compared to no masks.

In summary, there is low certainty evidence that using face masks may reduce the chance of infection and therefore community transmission.

Translating Science into Policy

When making policy recommendations to use or not use an intervention, decision-makers need to consider the trade-offs between benefits and harms presented by the scientific evidence, the certainty of the evidence, as well as factors such as values and preferences, resource implications, equity, acceptability, and feasibility.

Importantly, policy-makers need to focus on the desired outcome. In the case of COVID-19, if the goal is to “flatten the curve" as opposed to eradicating the virus, then partial protection afforded by face masks may be sufficient, despite low certainty evidence. Applying the precautionary principle (a strategy for approaching issues of potential harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking), may be the route to follow particularly with such a serious illness as COVID-19 with no known treatment or vaccine, spreading in an immune naive population, with deaths rising steeply, and health systems under strain.

So, implementing mask-wearing could assist with “flattening the curve", when used in combination with other measures known to reduce transmission, of isolation for individuals who are confirmed COVID-19 positive, quarantine for contacts of individuals who are confirmed COVID-19 positive, hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and physical distancing.

Translating policy into practice

Applying the same precautionary principle relating to potential harms, face mask usage should be accompanied by strictly adhering to safe use guidelines. Such guidelines should encompass obtaining, donning (putting on), doffing (taking off), not touching your face or mask while wearing, cleaning, disinfecting and disposal of face mask.
In other words, “Mask plus Message" must be the essence of any implementation campaign.

It would be imperative to ensure that the “golden rules" of infection prevention and control are emphasised alongside mask-wearing.

• Hand-hygiene (regular hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds),

• Respiratory hygiene (sneeze and cough into your bent elbow, and away from other people),

• Physical distancing (no physical contact, remain two metres away from other people),

• Reduction in gathering and congregation of people and

• Disinfecting and sanitisation of surfaces.

An important caveat is that face masks are critical in healthcare settings to protect healthcare workers from becoming infected. Given that the pandemic has led to a global shortage of PPE, including face masks and N95 respirators, these must be prioritised for healthcare workers. Homemade or cloth masks have therefore been suggested as a stop-gap in community settings in order to save medical face masks for use by healthcare workers.

Looking ahead
As we look ahead towards the end of lockdown, other measures to reduce transmission will be key. Widespread use of face masks may well be an important component of interventions to continue “flattening the curve" and mitigate the inevitable tsunami of COVID-19 cases. Mask-wearing may also act as a symbol of hope, shared responsibility and collective action to a life altering pandemic.

* Dr Kerrin Begg is a Public Health Medicine Specialist at Stellenbosch University and member of the College of Public Health Medicine guidance task team.

​​​A video message to staff and student from the Dean's Management Team at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.