Health e News

TB vaccine critical, but money tight

BERLIN – An important tuberculosis vaccine trial among HIV-positive participants in Klerksdorp has been paused this year due to funding constraints as governments and donors pull back in the face of struggling economies.

New TB drugs on the horizon

BERLIN – Although still a couple of years away – new, effective, affordable, better tolerated, short course ‘€“ tuberculosis drugs are in the pipeline and showing promise both for drug sensitive TB and the more complex drug-resistant TB.

Treat pneumonia or no MDG

BERLIN ‘€“ Unless South Africa takes action to prevent and rapidly treat childhood pneumonia ‘€“ the biggest killer of children under five in developing countries ‘€“ reducing infant mortality and reaching Millennium Development Goal 4 will remain a pipedream.

HIV rate stabilizes in pregnant women

Although the HIV prevalence rate for pregnant women has been virtually the same over the past four years at 29.2%, this was still a ‘€œhigh and unacceptable’€ level.

Massive TB breakthrough unaffordable

BERLIN ‘€“ AIDS activists are calling for the price of a machine which drastically cuts the diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis to be reduced making it affordable to the regions where the epidemic is most serious, including South Africa. The development of the Gene Xpert is hailed as one of the greatest breakthroughs in TB control.

TB: Invest now or pay later

BERLIN ‘€“ Unless the money needed for tuberculosis is invested now the world will face a drug-resistant epidemic that will affect everyone in the world, warned Dr Nils Billo, Executive Director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

Health-e Journo scoops award

Health-e is very proud to announce that our print journalist, Lungi Langa has won first prize in the ‘€œStop TB’€ Excellence in Reporting on Tuberculosis competition (low- or middle-income-country category).

Snipping for better health outcomes

Provincial Health Departments will accelerate their male circumcision rollout as government commits up to R40-million towards the intervention.

TAC tackles the Tara Klamp

The Treatment Action Campaign has published a four part series on what they call ‘€œa massive unethical medical intervention’€ in Kwazulu-Natal.

Hospital stamps out illiteracy

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’€™s hospital has set up a mobile library to foster a love of reading among children admitted to the hospital.

Sex workers care for HIV-affected peers

NAIROBI:(PlusNews) – Shunned by mainstream society, sex workers with HIV-related illnesses in Nairobi are unlikely to receive help from concerned neighbours. Instead, some of them are being cared for by fellow sex workers.

Study highlights need for better post-rape care in conflict

NAIROBI:(PlusNews) – Recent research into the effect of mass rape on HIV in conflict situations has highlighted the need for better post-rape care services for affected women and girls.

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