Southern Africa

Mother-to-child HIV transmission still falling

WASHINGTON DC, 23 July 2012 (PlusNews) - South Africa has charted a significant decline in mother-to-child HIV transmission for the second consecutive year, with new data showing that just 2.7 percent of babies born to HIV-positive mums contracted the virus at six weeks of age, compared to 8 percent in 2008. full report

AFRICA: Domestic investment in HIV up but uneven

NAIROBI, 19 July 2012 (PlusNews) - Many sub-Saharan African nations - traditionally the beneficiaries of international HIV funding - are gradually increasing their financial contributions to the fight against the virus, boosting the number of people on treatment to record highs according to a new UNAIDS report, Together We Will End AIDS, released on 18 July. full report

SOUTH AFRICA: Activists protest as Novartis ruling approaches

CAPE TOWN, 12 July 2012 (PlusNews) - At least a hundred protesters arrived at South Africa's parliament on 11 July to demonstrate their disapproval of the ongoing court case by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis against the Indian government over its patent laws. As the case draws to a close, health organizations say a win for the pharmaceutical company will be a loss to the developing world, which sources the bulk of its generic medicines from India. full report

SOUTH AFRICA: National Health Insurance falls short on health workers

CAPE TOWN, 11 July 2012 (PlusNews) - As South Africa moves towards universal healthcare, health policy experts warn that the country has grossly underestimated the number of health workers it will need to ensure access to health services for everyone. full report

SWAZILAND: Traditional leaders get involved in HIV treatment campaign

MBABANE, 3 July 2012 (PlusNews) - The recent announcement by a local chief that he is living with HIV has brought the conservative world of traditional Swazi leadership into the thrust of 21st century AIDS mitigation efforts. full report

SOUTH AFRICA: First nurses trained to initiate MDR-TB treatment

DURBAN, 19 June 2012 (PlusNews) - South Africa will increasingly move towards nurse-initiated treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the next five years, and a programme in KwaZulu-Natal Province, which has a high HIV/TB burden, is already training nurses to manage MDR-TB patients. full report

SOUTH AFRICA: Overcrowding fuels TB in prisons

DURBAN, 19 June 2012 (PlusNews) - Tuberculosis (TB) rates in South Africa's prisons could be cut by up to 94 percent if the country reduced overcrowded conditions in cells and implemented active TB case finding, according to research presented at the recent South African TB Conference. full report

SOUTH AFRICA: Busisiwe Beko, "I'm pregnant, I've got HIV and also TB"

DURBAN, 15 June 2012 (PlusNews) - In 2005, Busisiwe Beko realized she was pregnant. She also found out she was HIV-positive, and that she had active tuberculosis (TB). Then she developed multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and for the next year struggled to get proper, timely treatment for her and her baby daughter, who contracted MDR-TB. full report

SOUTH AFRICA: Decentralizing care and treatment for drug-resistant TB

DURBAN, 14 June 2012 (PlusNews) - South Africa’s move to decentralize the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) has given rise to a crop of nurses equipped not only to initiate patients on HIV treatment, but also to prescribe for and monitor drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) patients. However, experts and government officials say the need for specialist physicians and hospitals will continue, based on research presented at the South African TB conference in the port city of Durban. full report

HEALTH: The TB activist agenda

DURBAN, 14 June 2012 (PlusNews) - TB activists have a lot on their plates - whether it’s affordable access to the latest tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, or pushing for more paediatric formulations. IRIN/PlusNews takes a look at the top three issues. full report
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