NAIROBI, 29 December 2010 (PlusNews) – This has been an exciting year for the fight against HIV, with dramatic developments in biomedical HIV prevention and a record five million people receiving life-prolonging treatment. It has also been a year fraught with funding difficulties and the continued discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and other marginalized groups. Here are the picks from PlusNews coverage: Microbicide breakthrough – After years of disappointing results, this year saw the first clinical evidence that a vaginal gel – known as a microbicide – could help to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. Such a preventative tool... Continue Reading
GULU, 22 December 2010 (PlusNews) – After years of hearing about the protective effects of medical male circumcision against HIV, many men in northern Uganda are taking advantage of a government move to provide the procedure free of charge. Uganda launched its national male circumcision policy in September 2010; in 2006 a large study in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda found that the procedure can reduce a man’s risk of contracting HIV through vaginal intercourse by as much as 60 percent. Nationally, about 25 percent of Ugandan men are circumcised, but in the north, that figure drops to as low... Continue Reading
JOHANNESBURG, 20 December 2010 (PlusNews) – South Africa’s newly announced tender for antiretrovirals (ARVs) has halved the price the government will pay for the life-saving drugs; however, fixed dose combinations, which would decrease the pill burden, are still largely absent from the deal. With estimated savings of about US$685 million from end-January, South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the programme could now afford to treat twice as many HIV-positive patients as before. Few fixed dose combinations have been included in the new tender, however, due to continued registration delays with the Medicines Control Council (MCC). As part of a... Continue Reading
By Bai-Bai Sesay, Freetown – A one-day advocacy meeting with local government councils on Tuberculosis (TB) has ended at the Hill Valley Hotel conference hall over the weekend. Speaking at the meeting, Dr. J.N Kandeh pointed out that they alone cannot fight to stop Tuberculosis infections without involving the communities, therefore they thought it fit to get the community leaders so that they can all work together to achieve their goal. Giving an overview of Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS), the Program Manager of the National Leprosy and TB Control Programme Dr Allieu H. Wurie said they want to... Continue Reading
Shout-Africa Tech News – LG Electronics, a leader in LED display technologies, unveiled the next generation of flat panel televisions featuring NANO Lighting Technology that will redefine “clarity” in FULL LED TVs at its CES Sneak Peek event in New York City. The LW9500 and LW7700 NANO FULL LED TV series push the boundaries of viewing pleasure with their NANO Lighting Technology, which produces LG’s brightest, clearest and smoothest picture yet. An extremely thin film printed with a proprietary light dispersion pattern combined with a full array of LEDs disperses light more evenly across the screen, creating pictures that are... Continue Reading
