Health e News
Western Cape health MEC Theuns Botha yesterday accused the African National Congress of mismanaging the province while in control, but in the same forum described national health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi as ‘the best news to health services this country has seen for a long time’.
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The health department is redesigning the new ARV tender in the hope of procuring cheaper antiretroviral medicine amid claims that South Africa is paying around 30% more than the global rate for the drugs.
Rural doctors have invited President Zuma to shadow a rural doctor for a day, adding that if he ignored them it could mean he didn’t care about the people they serve.
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The national health department has signed off new HIV treatment guidelines, bringing South Africa in line with international best practice and removing a drug responsible for a wide range of side effects.
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Treating herpes does not reduce the risk of transmitting HIV, a New England Journal of Medicine study has found. The anti-herpes medication is dispensed from all South African Primary Healthcare clinics in the public sector and has been added to the sexually transmitted infection treatment guidelines.
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HIV prevention is based on getting people to change their sexual habits ‘ but this is a very difficult process as President Zuma has shown.
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given a grant of $7 million over five years to the American Cancer Society to lead and coordinate the African Tobacco Control Consortium, a global coalition of public health-oriented organizations focusing on using evidence-based approaches to stem the tobacco epidemic in Africa.
The life of Pholokgolo Ramothwala, one of South Africa’s long-standing AIDS activists has taken a new turn. The openly HIV-positive Pholokgolo, who started publishing an online diary last year, has just started taking antiretrovirals following the deterioration of his health.
Civil society organisations have expressed strong opposition to the imprisonment of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a gay couple, in Malawi. More than 40 African civil society organisations have called for the immediate release of this couple, and for the repeal of discriminatory laws against same-sex relationships.
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Researchers have reported results of a clinical trial showing that a new vaccine – Mycobacterium vaccae (MV) – is effective in preventing tuberculosis in people with HIV infection.
Discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS continues to thrive in many parts of Africa because of insufficient laws to protect human rights. A conference of African jurists held in Johannesburg, recently, heard that although judges do not implement laws, they are suitably placed to make progressive decisions that can end the discrimination.
South Africa faces potentially huge cuts in donor support for its HIV/AIDS programme over the next five years, yet it needs an extra R2-billion a year to reach all those who need antiretroviral treatment.