WORLDVIEW: A small adaptation to SA tsunami of lifestyle diseases – with a big result

WORLDVIEW: A small adaptation to SA tsunami of lifestyle diseases – with a big result

Buried in South Africa’s colliding epidemics of HIV/AIDS, violence and trauma, and high maternal and child mortality is a behavioural time-bomb; lifestyle or non-communicable diseases.
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An old racing adage warns us to never change the name of a horse. I saw the result with perhaps the best colt we ever bred during our farming years. As befitted such a special fellow, we named him Roubini after the economist who predicted the Global Financial Crisis.

A sparkling future seemed assured. Until the fellows who bought him at auction rechristened our man Fathead Brownie. With predictable results. After a promising 5th on debut, the beautiful colt has run another 20 times without finding the placings.

But in other parts of our world, a name change can make a huge difference. As my Biznews colleague and medical specialist Chris Bateman discusses in today's contribution where he looks at one of the saddest legacies of Apartheid.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

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