Health e News
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South Africa’s antiretroviral treatment guidelines have been updated. The guidelines offer a range of improvements over the 2004 guidelines including new, more tolerable antiretrovirals, immediate ARV treatment for drug-resistant TB patients and improved prevention of mother to child transmission procedures.
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Five (5) more people have been infected with Rift Valley Fever (RVF), bringing the total to 52 of laboratory confirmed human cases since the first incident on 13 February 2010. The mortality rate remains the same at 2.
At a media briefing later this morning (25/03/2010), Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi will outline how ready the country’s health facilities are to test up to 15 million people for HIV. This is for the imminent HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) campaign launching in April. People who have tested and are living with HIV indicate that they are ready to help if needed.
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As of this morning 24 March 2010, five (5) more laboratory confirmed human cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) have been reported by the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD), bringing the total to 47 of people infected by RVF.
Mpumalanga’s cure rate of 60% for Tuberculosis falls far below the national target of 70% and is a sign that the province’s TB Control Programme is failing. Many patients are defaulting on treatment and dying of TB. The province is also home to one of the six districts with the worst track-record of curing TB in South Africa. A critical staff shortage, says the provincial TB unit head, is hindering progress.
From the 1st of April, HIV and TB patients will experience a major shift in policy when they go for their next appointment at a public health facility. The two will be treated by the same unit from now on. We find out why.
My name is Lungi Langa. I am a 24-year-old HIV-negative health journalist. I am living with TB. It sounds odd when I say that. But it’s real.
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To date Tuesday morning, 23 March 2010, the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD) has reported 42 laboratory confirmed human cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF). There has been no increase since Sunday.
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Sir Elton John today (23 March) announced from Cape Town, South Africa, the granting of a £984,000 award to mothers2mothers (m2m) to be used to help prevent hundreds of thousands of babies across Africa from contracting HIV and empowering mothers living with HIV.
A TB Unit at one of South Africa’s busiest hospitals is at the forefront of showing why this disease which is killing thousands of South Africans, is curable.
Durban healthworkers who treat patients with drug-resistant TB should be given special incentives such as ‘danger pay’.
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OPINION:Nathan Geffen’s book Debunking Delusions reminds us what can go wrong when AIDS denialists are given the time of day. The book also documents clearly how we can fight denialism in a manner that saves lives and respects science. What is clear given the resurgence of AIDS denialist propaganda is that now is not the time to sit back.