The Tuberculosis community of South Africa

'Goldilocks' gene could determine best treatment for TB patients

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:21:00 +0200

Tuberculosis patients may receive treatments in the future according to what version they have of a single 'Goldilocks' gene, says an international research team from Oxford University, King's College London, Vietnam and the USA.
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PMBs here to stay, court rules

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:06:00 +0200

Legalbrief reports that the North Gauteng High Court has thrown out, on technical grounds, a bid to clarify what medical aid funds are required to pay for the treatment of a basic set of conditions, ranging from tuberculosis to malaria.
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Non-communicable diseases: Africa must 'spend a lot more'

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:47:00 +0200

BERLIN, GERMANY: According to scidev.net, Olive Shisana, CEO of the South African Human Sciences Research Council, said at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany that infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, are expected to decline while non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, will increase in Africa over the coming decades.
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Provinces spend just R83,8 billion

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 06:37:00 +0200

South African provinces spent a paltry 22,9% or R83,8 billion of their combined total budgets of R365,5 billion in the first quarter of this year according to a report published by Business Live.
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Immunisation: Keeping them safe

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:49:00 +0200

National Immunisation Awareness Week takes place over 2-8 August. Immunisation is an increasingly controversial topic, but the truth is that there is a far greater risk associated with not immunising your child.
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Healthcare workers run the gauntlet of TB infection every day

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:42:00 +0200

Research studies in countries in Africa, Asia, and South America have documented increased risk of TB disease or infection in health care workers compared with the general population.
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WHO warns against the use of inaccurate blood tests for active tuberculosis

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:01:00 +0200

The use of currently available commercial blood (serological) tests to diagnose active tuberculosis (TB) often leads to misdiagnosis, mistreatment and potential harm to public health, says WHO in a policy recommendation issued today. WHO is urging countries to ban the inaccurate and unapproved blood tests and instead rely on accurate microbiological or molecular tests, as recommended by WHO.
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DNDi launches new HIV/AIDS drug development programme for children

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:37:00 +0200

Yesterday at the 6th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) announced the launch of a new drug development programme to address critical unmet treatment needs of children with HIV and AIDS.
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SA's top five recent successes in HIV

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 07:50:00 +0200

South Africa's HIV/AIDS programme has come a long way from the dark days of denialism and deadly treatment delays. Francois Venter, chairman of the country's bi-annual HIV conference, SA AIDS 2011, gave IRIN/PlusNews five reasons to be happy about the country's progress:
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Govt working around the clock on NHI

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:54:00 +0200

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has urged citizens who are concerned about the establishment of the National Health Insurance (NHI) to be patient as government is working around the clock on this issue.
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