Using trends in the rate of new HIV infections in east and southern Africa we assess the current state of the epidemic and evaluate the future prospects for controlling it.
There have been numerous papers and books on South Africa’s catastrophic era of AIDS denialism. There is much less known and written about the “when-to-start antiretrovirals (ARVs)” debate. This debate offers a fascinating look at how scientific disagreements between reasonable people, who are experts in the field, work, and how consensus evolves as evidence accumulates.
The 13th Paediatric-Adolescent-Treatment Africa (PATA) summit, brought together over 200 delegates including 110 frontline health providers from 15 sub-Saharan African countries between 23 and 25 October 2017.
Listen to expert perspectives on the work of MEASURE Evaluation which develops approaches and conducts research for health information systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries across the globe.
HIV self-testing is a way to reach more people with undiagnosed HIV and represents a step forward to empower individuals, diagnose people earlier before they become sick, bring services closer to where people live, and create demand for HIV testing.
HIV is the biggest killer of South Africans, but deaths from the virus have almost halved in six years thanks to the country’s antiretroviral treatment programme.
The country has made progress with its plans to prevent, treat and monitor HIV but still has a long way to go.
Both outsiders and insiders actively survey their organisations to ward off tokenism and to inspect how elders are engaging with young people, and vice versa to enable better relationships on the journey to meeting deliverables.
With the release of the WHO Consolidated Strategic Information Guidelines, countries are provided with a template, in the form of a depiction of the “Care Cascade”, permitting them to quantify the state of care as it currently stands. This article discusses data issues related to cascade reporting and suggests ways to improve reporting.
The recently concluded millennium development goals (MDGs) have seen the suffering and deaths caused by preventable and treatable diseases significantly reduced. Over the last 15 years, life expectancy around the world has increased incredibly. In Africa, life expectancy has increased by 9.4 years. In spite of such achievements, inequality in terms of access to and quality of healthcare persists. The high rate of maternal deaths among African countries is a clear indication.
This week, UNAIDS released Global AIDS Update 2016. The report shows dramatic gains, including access to ARVs by those living with HIV/AIDS, and highlights other areas which will require continued coordinated public health effort to meet the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Several African countries have contributed in the numerous HIV related clinical trials which have been conducted to provide the highest-quality scientific evidence. Many effective therapies and interventions have been developed such as antiretroviral drugs, pre-exposure prophylaxis, topical microbicides and HIV vaccines.
While the drive to increase coverage to ART needs to continue, there is also an urgent need for policymakers and healthcare providers to focus beyond the goal of prolonging survival and to concentrate ensuring that adolescents living with HIV achieve an optimum quality of life.
The scientific world has had evidence since 2011 that a single pill a day could reduce the risk of contracting HIV. Five years later most people at substantial risk of HIV infection still don't have access to this HIV prevention method. This strategy, known as oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, uses a two-in-one antiretroviral (ARV) pill, Truvada, containing the ARVs tenofovir and emtricitabine. These ARVs were originally developed to treat people who have already acquired the virus.
A comprehensive review of secondary data sources has confirmed a long-suspected link between female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) and HIV infection for women in southern Africa. Researchers confirmed the link in Mozambique, finding that exposure to schistosomiasis, combined with HIV prevalence, increases the odds of HIV infection by three times. Researchers also conclude that treating young girls for schistosomiasis could avert millions of new cases of HIV infection at far less cost than treating HIV infection once it has occurred.
Two clinical trials of a vaginal ring containing 25 mg of the antiretroviral drug dapivirine report that the medicated ring prevented new HIV infections at a rate of more than 30% overall, and more than 50% in women over 21. The ring was found to offer “little to no protection” in women 18 to 21. Together the two studies - ASPIRE and The Ring Study - involved more than 4,500 women in southern and eastern Africa.
The creation and implementation of Option B+ in Malawi for pregnant women shows what can be achieved by a ‘treat all’ programme and the kind of health system reforms needed to deliver UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 targets, Andreas Jahn of the Malawian Ministry of Health told delegates.
The National Department of Health in South Africa has just published the report on the 2013 HIV survey among pregnant women.