New dawn in TB prevention therapy
After decades of relying on isoniazid-based TB preventive therapy as the best option for TB prevention, a number of new regimens have done well in clinical trials and at least some of them will soon be rolled out.
AIDS2018: Humans in the Age of HIV-Young people & SRHR
By Ngqabutho Mpofu Nosipho Soga is a 19-year-old learner who hails from Kuyasa, a Khayelitsha township in Cape Town. She can best be described as bubbly, intelligent, engaged and relatively…
AIDS2018: Humans in the Age of HIV-All about Love
By Ngqabutho Mpofu Dressed in a Robert Sobukwe Dashiki and trendy shoes, Thando Jack draws [caption id="attachment_6508" align="alignright" width="300"] Thando Jackby Joyrene Kramer[/caption] gazes from the mainly white upper middle-class…
SA ahead of World Health Organisation in recommending new TB medicine
The South African Department of Health this week announced it will be making a new tuberculosis medicine available more widely than recommended by the World Health Organisation. The department deserves credit for this brave decision that will both save lives and prevent many patients from suffering irreversible hearing loss.
8 key findings from new district health report
The Health Systems Trust last week published the latest edition of the District Health Barometer (DHB). The DHB provides a wealth of district, provincial and national level data on a wide variety of indicators. Below we have picked out eight interesting national-level findings.
Editorial: The new hiv & TB plan – Three months to get it right
Delays at the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) has meant that the new NSP (National Strategic Plan) will now only be ready in March 2017.
How do we get to zero TB?
By Salmaan Keshavjee – Tuberculosis (TB) has surpassed HIV/AIDS as the biggest infectious killer of adults worldwide. In 2015, an estimated 10.4 million people became sick with the disease – one million of whom were children – and 1.8 million people died.
TB: What the numbers tell us about political will
Marcus Low – Last month the annual Union World Conference on Lung Health was held in Liverpool, United Kingdom. As always at this conferences, much was said about how the world needs to step up the fight against tuberculosis (TB) – about how we need new agendas and paradigm shifts.
Less money for TB research
By Mike Frick – The world spent less on tuberculosis (TB) research in 2015 than it did in 2009. This decrease in spending does not track a similar decline in TB incidence or mortality.
Ten patents on two TB drugs
By Marcus Low – An online tool launched last week sheds light on what patents have been granted for which medicines in a number of developing countries.
AIDS 2016: Stephen Lewis’ keynote address delivered at #TB2016
Stephen Lewis addresses the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban.