Health e News

Vaccine remains elusive, but some progress

When all is said and done, the ultimate tool needed to control the most devastating infectious disease in the world’€™s history, is an HIV vaccine.

A light at the end of the prevention tunnel’€¦

On Tuesday morning last week, news was shared with the world from the New England Journal of Medicine which caused the United States President of the United States to say from the White House: ‘€œI am encouraged by this announcement of groundbreaking research on HIV prevention. While more work is needed, these kinds of studies could mark the beginning of a new era in HIV prevention. As this research continues, the importance of using proven HIV prevention methods cannot be overstated.’€

A microbicide critical

Huge strides are being made in HIV prevention, but despite the good news there remains an urgent need for an intervention that addresses the higher infection rates among women and current hopes are pinned on a microbicide.

Untangling SANAC

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) has become a ‘€œtalkshop’€ that is failing to lead the country’€™s fight against AIDS because it is poorly resourced, lacks leadership and there is confusion over its role.

Call for MSM to be on AIDS agenda

As World AIDS Day approaches, activists and service providers in the non-governmental health sector have warned government that it will never turn the tide of AIDS if high risk groups such as men who have sex with other men are not brought into focus in efforts to prevent HIV spreading further.

World has turned the corner – UNAIDS

The number of new HIV infections is almost one-fifth lower than it was a decade ago, indicating that the world has ‘€œturned the corner in the fight against HIV/AIDS’€, according to the UNAIDS Global Report on HIV/AIDS that was released yesterday.

UNAIDS pushes simpler treatment plan

UNAIDS is promoting a new approach to HIV treatment, which it estimates could save 10 million more lives than conventional approaches over the next 15 years.

High rates of HIV among farm workers

A survey has found HIV infection rates as high as almost 40% among farm workers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

MSM study shows great HIV prevention promise

Taking a single antiretroviral (ARV) drug every day almost halves the chances of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM), a groundbreaking international study which also took place in South Africa, has found.

HIV will cost SA billions

South Africa has to gear itself up for an additional five million people to become infected with HIV during the next 20 years even if the country significantly increases the money dedicated to treatment and prevention. A study requested by government The Long-Run Costs and Financing of HIV/AIDS in South Africa concludes that the country faces a major and mounting financial challenge to confront the AIDS problem and that U$102-million will be needed over the next 20 years to keep the number of new infection at five million. Read the full report here.

FDCs the way to go

Berlin – Patients are at risk of developing resistance to Tuberculosis medicine due to lack of access to quality treatment, according to a report presented at the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health.

Battling DR-TB in Khayelitsha

BERLIN – It is a myth the drug-resistant TB is concentrated in Eastern Europe, with high levels of the disease reported from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, an epidemiologist told the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health.

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