Hope For South Africa - At Last (p 501)August 13, 2003This week's editorial urges the South African Government to implement new recommendations to provide antiretroviral treatment to tackle the country's grave HIV/AIDS epidemic. Three recent developments are detailed that offer some hope to the nearly 5 million South Africans living with HIV/AIDS: the authority of a South African drug company to develop and produce generic antiretrovirals locally and cheaply via voluntary licensing agreements from larger, global drug companies; the signing of an agreement between South African government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to provide a grant of US$41 million over 2 years for treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; and the publishing of a report of the joint Health and Treasury Task Team on Treatment options to supplement comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS in the public health sector was approved at a special Cabinet meeting last week. The editorial concludes: 'Many South Africans with HIV/AIDS have waited a long time while being repeatedly disappointed by their government leaders, many have died. South Africans are understandably impatient and sceptical. But now there is a real chance to leave the past behind and move swiftly forward to a better future for the people of South Africa. We urge the government to put the recommendations into practice.' | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Tuberculosis News Articles New Electrostatic-based DNA Microarray Technique Could Revolutionize Medical Diagnostics The dream of personalized medicine - in which diagnostics, risk predictions and treatment decisions are based on a patient's genetic profile - may be on the verge of being expanded beyond the wealthiest of nations with state-of-the-art clinics. Predicting TB outbreaks based on the first 2 cases Outbreaks of tuberculosis (TB) may be able to be identified by looking at certain characteristics of the first two patients, according to new research. Radical reform is needed to stop the 'inhumane' practice of transplant tourism The UK government must bring in presumed consent to organ donation or allow a controlled donor compensation programme for unrelated live donors, in order to bring the "inhumane" practice of transplant tourism from the UK to an end, claims a doctor in this week's BMJ. Pitt-led Researchers Find Source of Drug-Tolerant Tuberculosis Possibly Behind TB Relapses, Intensity of Treatment University of Pittsburgh-led researchers discovered that the primary bacteria behind tuberculosis can grow on surfaces and that drug-tolerant strains flourish in these bacterial communities, the research team recently reported in "Molecular Microbiology." US soldiers in high-tuberculosis areas face new epidemic: false positives U.S. Army service members are increasingly deployed in regions of the world where tuberculosis (TB) is rampant, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and the military now faces a growing medical problem. Tuberculosis not the only risk from new immunological drugs A new survey cautions physicians that drugs commonly prescribed for patients suffering from immunological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease may carry risks of serious infections other than the known risk of tuberculosis. Pilot study reinforces use of portable anteroom HEPA filtration Amidst an increase in new tuberculosis cases, researchers have begun investigating the effectiveness of new operating room filtration systems designed to protect staff and patients. X-rays power discoveries at Chicago's Field Museum Digital medical imaging and information technology from Carestream Health, Inc., is playing a key role in helping The Field Museum of Chicago discover and analyze secrets hidden within its world-class collections. Study shows common vitamin and other micronutrient supplements reduce risks of TB recurrence New findings show a link between micronutrient supplementation and reduced risk of recurrence during tuberculosis chemotherapy, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. NIAID describes research priorities to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) has long been one of the world's great killers. Now, forms of drug-resistant TB--multidrug (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)--are occurring at an ominous and accelerating rate. More Tuberculosis News Articles |
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