Temperatures are dropping and leaves are turning. Winter is on its way and that means the flu is not far behind. Influenza can be fatal for some, including those living with HIV.
Several private sector pharmacies have run out of the Glaxo-Smith-Kline drug 3TC, an anti-retroviral drug used in combination with others. Indications are that GSK is struggling to meet demand.
If one is HIV-positive and lives in the developing world is it inevitable that they will also contract tuberculosis? There's no easy answer to that, but because of the sheer scale of TB infection rates among HIV-positive individuals it is becoming standard practice to provide prophylactic medicine to prevent dual infection. But does it work?
Erratic exposure to treatment due to irregular drug supply, inappropriate diagnosis and prescription by health care providers as well as poor adherence to treatment by the patient are all factors leading up to the development of Multi-Drug Resistant TB. Side-effects associated with treatment can also influence patients to stop taking their medication. In this report we visit an MDR-TB referral centre in Klerksdorp, North West.
Doctors struggle to cure multi-drug resistant TB, while patients experience multiple side-effects. Health-e reports from an MDR-TB referral unit in Klerksdorp.
South Africa is the country with the highest co-infection rate of HIV and TB in the world, with more than half of those who have TB also testing positive for HIV. People with HIV are most likely to die of tuberculosis than any other opportunistic infection. But if detected early, death from TB can be prevented even in the presence of HIV infection.
As South Africa joins the world in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing this week, the threat posed by HIV/AIDS to women's development, particularly in the developing world, continues to grow. Health-e, reports.
Only 850 000 South Africans have actually been tested for HIV in the past four years, while 1.2 million people have had pre-test counselling. The low rate of testing is a common problem worldwide, which has led to countries such as Botswana and the US making the HIV test a routine service available at primary health facilities. Does South Africa plan to change its approach to Voluntary Counselling and HIV testing? Health-e finds out.
It's been a month since she's been the national Chief Director of the HIV and AIDS, TB and STI's cluster. Dr Nomonde Xundu admits that she comes to the job at a time when 'a lot of work has been done already'. Her predecessor Dr Nono Simelela, left the post late last year after a perceived 'frustration' at the government's slow pace in ensuring treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS. In this report, we find out who Dr Nomonde Xundu is.
First, the Catholic Church charged that they encourage immoral sexual behaviour and that they actually contribute to the spread of HIV. Now IFP leader Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi says 'if we rely on a piece of rubber for our salvation, then we are already doomed'. Health-e News Service, explores the issue.
New research suggests that starting antiretroviral therapy while the immune system is still relatively strong rather than at the later stages of HIV infection could be beneficial. Up to so far, guidelines on AIDS treatment require that ARV's should be started when a person's CD 4 cell-count reaches the clinically crucial 200 mark or less. Health-e News Service, reports.
World AIDS Day 2004 highlights the vulnerability of women and children to HIV. The theme resonates strongly with South Africans as we observe the annual 16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women and Children. In this final instalment of our Living with AIDS feature for this year, we look at why it's important to focus on these groups.
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