While believing that education is one of the key strategies in addressing poverty, disease and crime in South Africa, specialist physician, pulmonologist and researcher Dr Donald Simon says experience has taught him that knowledge is not necessarily power.

Citing the ubiquitous LoveLife HIV prevention campaign aimed at teenagers when the AIDS pandemic burgeoned out of control from 2000, Dr Donald Simon says most young people knew HIV caused AIDS, yet failed to change their risky lifestyles.

“It's the same with non-communicable diseases. Some of our patients refuse to take responsibility for their own health. Sometimes medicine can't be practised as the book suggests, so you need to tailor your approach."

Based at the Stellenbosch University's Division of Pulmonology, he is researching treatment shortening of one of the country's biggest HIV-driven killers, tuberculosis, using the Academic Fellowship Award he received from the Discovery Foundation.

Read the original article by the Discovery Foundation at:

http://bit.ly/2qOsxzQ

(PHOTO: Nabeel Meakhan - Discovery Limited)