Health

It is not a cure, nor a vaccine, but experts at the ongoing International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa are optimistic about a pill that could prevent the spread of HIV.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a key topic at this week’s conference.  According to a recent study unveiled at the conference, people who take a pill of antiretroviral drugs each day, often the same pill that HIV-positive people take, showed extremely low rates of HIV transmission.

Chris Beyrer, the president of the International AIDS Society, lauded the results at the conference, “Now is really the time to start the PrEP access era,” he said.

Seven countries have approved the use of PrEP, and it is increasing in the United States among high risk groups.  In South Africa, the program has been tested, with good results among sex workers.

Hetero Drugs Limited is an Indian pharmaceutical company that specializes in generic drugs.  About 2.5 million Indians are known to have HIV.

“It is advised that a person who is at risk of developing HIV should take two pills before the intercourse and two pills within 24 to 48 hours after the intercourse,” Hetero’s international marketing manager, Rahul Lande, told VOA News.

"And the success rates for these studies are showing like 97 percent rate, and those three percent are those that did not take pills, basically.  So it’s quite a successful study.”

Cameron Cox, a sex worker and activist in Sydney, said neither he nor his partner use PrEP because both men are HIV-positive.  He said he is cautiously supportive of PrEP and that some of his male clients use the treatment.

"The boys who have gone on to PrEP, even though that when they come to see me, we still use condoms, they are much more comfortable having sex and they are much more relaxed, and they tell me that when they have sex, say, privately, non-commercial sex with other partners, that they feel much better about having sex," he said.  "They're not all the time scared that this is maybe going to be the time that there's a slip-up and something happens and they seroconvert.  So it's a wonderful thing for their mental health, if you know what I mean."

But, he said, he is worried that PrEP may lull people into a false sense of security.  If the HIV rate falls among people with high risk, like men who have sex with other men, it may foster a false sense that the epidemic is no longer a threat, and people of all risk levels may stop taking precautions against HIV, he says.

Indian sex worker Kiran Deshmukh, who is HIV-positive, says she welcomes any advance in the fight against HIV.  She proudly noted that none of her three children are HIV-positive because she was able to take precautions to prevent transmission of the disease.

But she said it's impossible to talk about sex and HIV without talking about trust.

"I would not have any problem with my partner using PrEP," she said, "but my basic question would be: when I'm already using a condom 24-7, why would you need to use PrEP as an additional medication?"

Like many questions that swirl around the AIDS virus, it's one that science alone cannot answer.

VOA

Details

Rita Akana

21.Jul.2016

Hits: 2840

Write comment (0 Comments)

he United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that despite successes chalked in the fight against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a lot more needed to be done particularly in Africa.

UNICEF’s Executive Director, Anthony Lake, revealed that adolescents were generally dying of AIDS at an alarming rate and that the disease remained the leading cause of death in Africa.

“After all of the saved and improved lives thanks to prevention, treatment and care; after all of the battles won against prejudice and ignorance about this disease; after all of the wonderful milestones achieved, AIDS is still the number two cause of death for those aged 10-19 globally – and number one in Africa,” he said.

The 21st International AIDS Conference currently underway in Durban, South Africa; has thus reaffirmed that despite remarkable global progress in tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic, much work remains to be done to protect children and adolescents from infection, sickness and death.

‘‘And while rates of new infections among adolescents have levelled off, UNICEF is concerned that projected increases in their population in the coming years will mean an increase in the overall number of infections,’‘ the children’s group observed.

UNICEF was also particularly concerned about girls who constituted the most vulnerable group of persons. ‘‘Girls are particularly vulnerable, making up about 65 per cent of new adolescent infections worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for about 70 per cent of people in the world living with HIV, 3 out of every 4 adolescents newly infected by HIV in 2015 were girls,’‘ a UNICEF statement revealed.

In the view of the UNICEF boss, the fight against the disease was far from over and required a focused and concerted effort to better the current situation.

“The undeniable progress we have made in the last three decades does not mean that our struggle is over,” Lake said.

“The battle against AIDS will not be over until we redouble prevention and treatment efforts; until we reach those young lives still being denied the progress that millions before them have enjoyed; and until we end the stigma and fear that prevent so many young people from getting tested,” he concluded. 

Details

Rita Akana

20.Jul.2016

Hits: 3269

Write comment (0 Comments)

The fight against illicit drugs was the theme of a conference of health ministers of the six countries of the CEMAC region  held in Douala on June 21-23 , 2016.France, which provides technical assistance to the program of harmonization of pharmaceutical policies OCEAC, was invited to the opening of the ministerial session of the conference. Through the voice of its ambassador to Cameroon, Christine  Robichon.

The trade in illicit drugs in Cameroon operates like a very powerful mafia-like network, which is very difficult to dismantle. It is estimated that investment in illicit sales of medicines is five times more lucrative than through the regular system. Local officials dread dismantling the network because it has also infiltrated the judicial and customs system.Corrupt regulatory and legal systems are easily exploited by criminal smugglers and additional rules have only increased corruption.” 

Ampoam says that most of the counterfeit drugs are made in the Middle East and East and South Asia, yet many carry the inscription ‘Made in Germany’. They are smuggled into Cameroon by sea and through the porous borders this country shares with Nigeria and the Central African Republic.

“Although it is difficult to give an exact statistic on the percentage of illicit drugs found in local markets today, the availability of drugs in local markets, makeshift shops, on the streets and along the highways tells of the deplorable situation in Cameroon.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that worldwide 200,000 deaths per annum could be prevented if people did not use counterfeit drugs. According to the International Policy Network report, fake tuberculosis and malaria drugs alone are estimated to kill 700,000 people globally each year.

Most of the drugs in circulation have been banned in certain countries because they are toxic or counterfeit. Some have the correct ingredients but in low quantities. Some of the drugs are samples or medicines donated by NGOs,” Ampoam explains.

Self-medication [with illegal and counterfeit drugs] is a big public health problem in Cameroon that affects almost every family. This stems from the easy access to drugs of doubtful origin and quality all over the national territory

Details

Rita Akana

27.Jun.2016

Hits: 2877

Write comment (0 Comments)

During Ramadan, all Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from dawn to sunset.

Although those with a medical condition are exempted, many diabetics still choose to fast. The lack of food and water can lead to serious complications.

For this reason, health professionals in Senegal have embarked on an awareness raising project called MRamadan”.MRamadan helps diabetics who decide to fast, to do so without health complications.

CCTV

Details

Rita Akana

22.Jun.2016

Hits: 2582

Write comment (0 Comments)

Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic ailment worldwide. It is mostly found in Africa, with Nigeria having the highest number of cases.

Sickle cell disease is a form of anaemia that affects red blood cells. The disease got its name because red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. This means less blood reaching areas that need it, leading to tissue and organ damage.

Details

Rita Akana

21.Jun.2016

Hits: 2759

Write comment (0 Comments)

State TV presenter, Foly Duran, says he is HIV negative, and that he has presented his test results to the state broadcaster, CRTV.

Many rumored that I had HIV, he writes.

Writing on his Facebook page hours ago, Diran reacts that he was put off his 26-year-old DELIRE simply because he was sick, contrary to claims that advertisers did not see him as sex-appealing to his followers, suggesting that a youth should run the kids show.

Details

Tapang Ivo Tanku

18.Jun.2016

Hits: 3812

Write comment (0 Comments)