By Nangamso Mabindla
1 July 2004

OFFICIALS from Buffalo City's health department marked health day by visiting and educating people around East London.

They travelled to areas such as Braelyn and Gompo to show people how to take responsibility for their health and improve the quality of their lives.

Cindy Zill, from the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca), addressed a packed Braelyn Hall on 30 June. She said the purpose of the event was not to intimidate people or force them into treatment.

Sanca helped people with many illnesses - especially those related to drugs - she said.

"Drugs are a danger to our society; they change people's lives, especially family life. They also lead to many illnesses, including mental illnesses."

Legal drugs - such as alcohol, cigarettes and medicines prescribed by pharmacies - were still dangerous if not used wisely. But it was illegal drugs, Zill emphasised, that were a major concern: dagga, Mandrax, cocaine and others found in nightclubs around the city.

She said drugs could also lead to HIV and Aids.

"Because people share a syringe chances are that the virus could spread. People should be careful of these drugs."

Zill urged those who needed help to contact Sanca.

Tuberculosis was another disease people underestimated.

Nomvuyo Ndevu, from the municipality's Pefferville Clinic, said: "Because TB can be cured people tend to think it is a minor disease."

She said those who had TB needed to continue treatment even if they were feeling better.

Many people with TB take their medication - which needs to be continued for six months - but stop when they start feeling better.

"That is a big mistake. People should take their treatment until a health professional tells them to stop," Ndevu said. A four-month treatment followed the end of the first phase.

"Your health is your responsibility," Ndevu told people from Braelyn.

"We supply you with the treatment; taking it and complying with it is an individual's responsibility."

She urged the community to help the municipality fight disease and create a healthy society for the children.