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Angolan Women Urged to Take HIV/AIDS Test
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Angola has called on pregnant women to adhere to voluntary testing of HIV/AIDS in order to reduce the epidemic by 90 percent by 2015.
Speaking to ANGOP, UNAIDS director, Sihaka Tsemo, pointed out that pregnant women should try to know as early as possible about their HIV status in order to begin treatment immediately and therefore protect their children from the virus.
Tsemo is concerned with some HIV positive people who drop out of antiretroviral therapy in the various health facilities in the country, to traditional treatment, an attitude that has been adversely affecting the clinical condition of many patients.
To read the article titled, “UNAIDS urges pregnant women to adhere to HIV/AIDS test,” click here.Source:All AfricaHIV Prevalence Rises in Angola
The National Institute of Combat of AIDS (INLS) says that, at least 200 000 people live with the HIV virus in Angola.
Speaking at a workshop on the strengthening of the actions for the acceleration of the civil society's response to HIV/AIDS, INLS director, Dulcelina Serrano, disclosed that since 2004, the prevalence has risen from 0.6 to 2.3 percent.
Serrano further adds that among HIV-positive pregnant women, the figure stands at 15 300, where 119 400 people need to receive antiretroviral treatment, including pregnant women.
To read the article titled, “Over 200,000 people live with HIV virus,” click here.Source:All AfricaTlou Honoured for Humanitarian Work
Director of UNAIDS regional support team for eastern and Southern Africa, Professor Sheila Tlou, says she is honoured to be awarded with the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Botswana.
Tlou, who received the Non Academic Services Champion award for her outstanding work, says her 28 years of experience has taught her to put other people before herself.
She adds that when she became Botswana's Health Minister in 2004, she saved many lives despite criticism from western countries.
To read the article titled, “UNAIDS director honoured for humanitarian work,” click here.Source:SABC NewsARVs Dropout Rate a Concern - UN
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the world can learn from South Africa's ‘impressive’ rollout of antiretroviral treatment to more than two million people but too many of those on treatment are being ‘lost’ in the system.
Director of the WHO’s HIV department, Dr Gottfried Hirnschall, points out that South Africa has shown other countries that access to treatment could be scaled up quickly.
Hirnschall, who presented the WHO's independent review of South Africa's HIV and TB programmes to Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says it is of concern that the whereabouts of 40 percent of the patients on ARVs are unknown after three years.
To read the article titled, “ARVs dropout rate worries UN,” click here.Source:Times LiveCall to Pay Money Owed to NHLS
The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) has warned that the poorest patients will suffer if provincial health departments do not pay the National Health Laboratories Services (NHLS) monies owed to it.
CANSA head of health Professor Michael Herbst maintains that the NHLS renders a crucial service to cancer patients.
Herbst points out that, "They [NHLS] do the histological or the laboratory tests to get the final diagnosis of cancer but they also do other tests. They also do tests for cancer markers, and without this it is very difficult for the treating specialists to properly and adequately treat the patients and this is just not on."
To read the article titled, “Poor patients will suffer if NHLS is not paid soon: CANSA,” click here.Source:SABC NewsTAC Says FS Hit By Medical Shortages
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) says that the Free State is hardest hit by medicine shortages for HIV and tuberculosis.
TAC national chairperson, Anele Yawa, is urging the premier to end what she calls the chronic shortage of medicines in the Free State health system.
On 20 March 2014, several members of the TAC marched to Free State Premier, Ace Magashule’s office in Bloemfontein to hand over a memorandum urging him to intervene in Free State health matters.
To read the article titled, “FState hardest hit by medicine shortages - TAC,” click here.Source:The CitizenProgress in the Fight Against HIV
A new study by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has revealed that while KwaZulu-Natal remains the focal point of the HIV epidemic in South Africa, progress is being made on early diagnosis, intervention and treatment.
MSF is also commending government interventions on treatment in Eshowe and Mbongolwane in northern KwaZulu-Natal, saying that early diagnosis and administration of antiretroviral therapy are bearing fruit.
While it cannot be assumed that the findings of this study can merely be replicated in other parts of the province, what it does indicate is that efforts that are currently in place by health authorities are making inroads into curbing the spread of the disease.
To read the article titled, “Fight against HIV epidemic bearing fruits,” click here.Source:SABC NewsAIDS Cure Within Antibodies?
The discovery of how a woman's body responded to her HIV infection by making antibodies may hold the clue to a cure for AIDS.
In a study that was published in the scientific journal, Nature, South African and American researchers describe how the research team found and identified these antibodies in her blood, and then duplicated them by cloning the antibodies in a laboratory.
Salim Abdool Karim, co-author and head of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, states that the potent antibodies take years to develop as they constantly evolve, the woman’s antibodies were discovered three years after she got infected and were traced backwards to outline how they changed in time.
To read the article titled, “Clues to curing Aids could live in antibodies,” click here.Source:Mail and GuardianMalaria Intensifies in African Countries
A study conducted by the Lancet medical journal has reported that gains in fighting malaria in sub-Saharan Africa have left the highest risk for the disease concentrated in ten countries.
According to the study, countries such as Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Guinea and Togo account for 87 percent of areas that have the highest prevalence of malaria.
The study further shows that financial support has risen from US$100 million annually to about US$2 billion since the launch of the Roll Back Malaria initiative in 2000.
To read the article titled, “Malaria: High risk focused in 10 African countries,” click here.Source:Times LiveHIV, Easier to Live With - Activist
The recent development of new and stronger HIV/AIDS drugs ensures that HIV becomes easier to live with.
AIDS activist, David Patient, says he has lived with HIV for 30 years by leading a positive lifestyle and taking his medication correctly.
"If I had a choice between being infected with HIV and living with diabetes, I would much rather take HIV. It is a much easier disease to live with, versus diabetes type 2. That is how manageable HIV is today. In fact, my life expectancy as a person living with HIV is longer than that for a person living with type 2 diabetes," states Patient.
To read the article titled, “HIV is much easier to live with than diabetes: activist,” click here.Source:SABC News
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