| Letting them die |  This week's issue of The Lancet carries a study from Uganda that shows that, in a well-supported trial at least, home-based carers providing antiretroviral therapy and co-trimoxazole prophylaxis can reduce mortality among those living with HIV by 95%. This may seem obvious, but what is important about this study is that the treatment programme was not dependent on doctors. None of the study participants visited clinics - and it is the requirement for clinic visits that is one of the most important factors in the relative failure of antiretroviral programmes in Africa.
Few have the money, the energy or the time to make the long trip to a clinic - and so they simply die. And it is not only the person with HIV who dies. The children of those who die also die - even if they do not have HIV. So, for each HIV positive person who dies as a result of not receiving treatment, at least one child under the age of 10 will die too - and the children who do survive are orphaned. The ramifications are enormous.
The most recent estimate shows that there are seven million people world-wide who need antiretroviral treatment - most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. The same estimate shows that around two million actually are receving treatment - that is only 28% of those in need. And this is with scaled up intervention and funding, both international and in-country. This still isn't enough. The remaining five million people who are not receiving antiretroviral treatment will die - and with them another whole generation of children. The survivors will be orphans. Something to think about while you cook your child's supper tonight.
Bridget Farham Editor
https://www.bizcommunity.com
| | Headlines
MedicalAre cataract rates on the decline?Should glaucoma patients seeking alternative therapies trust what they find online? Are seatbelts still important to protect eyes in vehicle accidents, now that most cars have airbags? What's the connection between hearing loss and one form of glaucoma? These are among the topics explored in the March 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. New single-dose treatment of athlete's foot Novartis has launched Lamisil® Film Forming Solution Once™– claimed to be the first single-dose treatment for athlete's foot in South Africa. Parirenyatwa stops surgical operations in drug crisisZimbabwe's biggest state hospital has stopped surgical operations because of a breakdown of equipment and shortages of drugs, a rights group said Sunday. Climb Kili 4 Cancer - CANSA Have you ever wanted to push yourself to the limits by climbing Africa's highest peak? Now is your chance to have the trip of a lifetime while supporting a good cause. Kili 4 Cancer is a project that aims to raise funds for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) through a number of events including a fully guided group climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. Company news: Governments fund research into breakthrough migraine surgery - Idea EngineersThe Governments of South Africa and Italy have committed to the joint financing of further research into breakthrough migraine surgery developed by South African specialist surgeon Dr Elliot Shevel. More than 7 000 delegates in Cape Town for World Anaesthetic Congress - Greta Wilson PublicityThe World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists Foundation aims to raise awareness, to make available highest standards of anaesthesia, pain treatment, trauma and resuscitation, notably in under-developed countries. Advertisement:
Corporate Social ResponsibilityEye specialists make brave attempt to address cataract backlog in SA - Magda Naude4306 cataract sufferers had their eye sight restored for free during a nationwide eye care awareness campaign in October last year. Company news: Pfizer Partners with 15 NGOs to build tobacco control capacity and improve cancer care - Magna CartaThe Pfizer Foundation announced a groundbreaking $33 million multi-year program to address the emerging challenges in cancer and tobacco control.
HIV/AIDSQuestion marks over South Africa's ARV tender The South African health department has called on drug manufacturers to submit bids to supply the government's antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme, just days before the current ARV tender is due to expire. AIDS experts and activists said decisions on which drugs to include were made with little consultation. Less silence, more science could make anal sex safer The silence and taboo surrounding anal sex is putting millions of men and women at risk of HIV, delegates attending the fourth international microbicides conference in New Delhi, India, heard this week. Calling Africa's journalistsAttention African journalists: the deadline to apply for the 2008 Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa has been extended to 14 March 2008. Company news: Crucial step taken in dealing with AIDS epidemic - Right to CareFirst HIV patient down-referral clinical established in Johannesburg.
Infectious diseasesWhy is winter the flu season?Researchers in the United States believe they have discovered why flu and other respiratory viruses are more prevalent in winter. West Africa ‘well-prepared' to meet meningitis outbreakMeningitis is spreading across the region with the death toll reaching 422 since the beginning of 2008 yet, contrary to several recent reports, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said the figures are lower than previous years and that West Africa is well-prepared to contain the disease.
Malaria2.3 billion live in areas at risk of P. Falciparum malaria, map showsAbout 2.37 billion people worldwide - or 35% of the global population - live in areas at risk of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, according to a global map of malaria distribution published Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, Xinhuanet reports.
Medical AidPrivate health fees should reflect CPIX[Gabi Khumalo] Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has urged the private health industry to ensure their tariff increases reflect the Consumer Price Index (CPIX) for the previous financial year. National Health Act to meet health care costs[Gabi Khumalo] The Department of Health is to introduce an amendment to the National Health Act to ensure transparency and fairness in the negotiation of hospital tariffs. New laws may improve med-aid negotiations[Gabi Khumalo] The Health Department is looking at the possibility of implementing a legislative regime that provides a fair basis for negotiation between medical schemes and providers. Discovery quits US retail market[Regis Nyamakanga, Financial Services Editor] Health insurer Discovery's US firm Destiny Health will exit the American retail insurance market after major losses. Company news: Dental claims administrator deploys cutting-edge business intelligence to slash fraud - Duo Marketing + CommunicationsDental claims administrator Denis has slashed claims fraud and reduced its operating costs by using in-memory business intelligence (BI) software QlikView to analyse information on the 1.3 million medical scheme members it manages.
Medical ResearchChewing gum helps recovery from gastrointestinal surgeryIn an article recently recommended by Bradley Kropp of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, researchers find chewing gum is a simple solution to the recovery of bowel function after gastrointestinal surgery - a problem that has troubled patients and physicians for decades. Tshabalala-Msimang says no to clinical trials of traditional medicinesThe South African Minster of Health says that clinical trials are not necessary for African traditional medicines.
Medical TechnologyMalawi student developing a solar autoclave [Gregory Gondwe] Malawi's University of Mzuzu final-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Energy is developing a solar autoclave, the first of its kind in Malawi. Technology to defeat bacterial infections shows positive resultsA UK company is leading the use of natural controls against serious bacterial infection and superbugs. Scientists at Biocontrol Ltd have presented at the Bacteriophage 2008 meeting in Hertfordshire a first look at the results of their initial Phase II clinical trial. Company news: Life saving haemorrhage control from South Africa - Mkhuseli Trauma ProductsMkhuseli Trauma Products announces the release of HEMCON® life saving products in South Africa.
Mental healthNew generation anti-depressants may do littleAccording to new research from Britain, new generation anti-depressants could be a waste of time and money for many patients and offer little clinical benefit.
NutritionLooks like fruit... Tastes like fruit... But is it fruit?Well, according to a consumer group in Britain, no it is not... not often enough... The organisation claims that many people (the report relates to the UK) are being misled into buying fruit-flavoured products that contain little or no fruit.
OncologyArtificial 'cells' boost the immune response to cancerUsing artificial cell-like particles, Yale biomedical engineers have devised a rapid and efficient way to produce a 45-fold enhancement of T cell activation and expansion, an immune response important for a patient's ability to fight cancer and infectious diseases, according to an advance on line report in Molecular Therapy. Cervical cancer vaccine approved in SA[Gabi Khumalo] The Medicines Control Council has approved the registration for the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) cervical cancer vaccine, which allows the use of vaccine in South Africa.
Pharmaceutical companiesCompany news: Aspen records 15% year-on-year revenue increase - Shauneen Beukes CommunicationsJSE listed Aspen (Apn), Africa's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, has recorded consistently positive results for the period ended December 2007.
Public healthMore taxes see drop in tobacco use - WHO[Bathandwa Mbola] Due to higher taxes placed on tobacco in South Africa, the consumption of cigarettes has declined among the young and the poor, according to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Bulawayo runs out of money And the consequences for health could be dire... raw sewage is contaminating water supplies, which in any case cannot be properly treated...
TuberculosisWHO releases report on global scale of drug-resistant TBDrug-resistant tuberculosis accounts for about one in every 20 new cases of TB diagnosed worldwide, and the number is closer to one in every five cases in some parts of the former Soviet Union, according to a World Health Organization report released Tuesday, the Washington Post reports (Brown, Washington Post, 2/27). |
| | Events to diarise | Access to health care in Africa ARV Access for Africa - Cape Town, 16 April
A symposium examining some of the current challenges to the reliable supply, quality or care and effective use of HIV/AIDS and related medicines and diagnostics and capacity development. | | | | |
| | Jobs offered | Specialising in Media Sales, Advertising
and Marketing placements |  |
| PABX Hygiene Specialist - Cape Town
Own transport and drivers license. Must be presentable and well spoken as he will be representing Panasonic. Basic technical knowledge. Customer-orientated. read more
| | Professional Nurse - Durban - Pinetown | | Marketing Executive - OTC - Northern Suburbs | | Marketing Executive - Pharmaceutical - Northern Suburbs | | | |
| | News for medical professionals | | Home-based ARV programmes can improve outcomes
| Causes of severe anaemia in children in Malawi
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