Navigation Links
Treating HIV in war zones -- Public health emergencies need rapid advice from WHO

HIV treatment can be delivered even in settings of armed conflict, and humanitarian health agencies should not wait until a conflict is over before launching HIV care programs, say a team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in this week’s PLoS Medicine.

Heather Culbert and colleagues report their results of three years’ experience of providing HIV care, including antiretroviral therapy (ART), to a conflict-affected population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The reported treatment outcomes were similar to those in HIV projects in non-conflict settings.

"Our experience has shown us that one of the keys to successful provision of ART in conflict settings is preparation for disruption," say the authors. Some of the crucial contingency measures include:

  • Providing patients with extra emergency drug supplies that can be taken in case of program interruption.
  • Stockpiling emergency supplies of ART and securing them against vandals and looters
  • Distributing clinics widely throughout the treatment area, thus reducing travel requirements and making it easier and safer for staff and patients to access the clinics in times of insecurity
  • Establishing links with HIV care programs in neighboring regions, allowing displaced patients to continue to receive care
  • Educating patients on the importance of not conserving their pills and trying to take them on time even during periods of instability.

Culbert and colleagues' paper includes powerful testimonies from patients who have been under the care of MSF. One patient, followed in the clinic since May 2003, and on ART since December 2003, says:

"I heard gun fire all through the night. When I had only five pills left I lost my appetite and felt desperate…but despite the uncertainty I continued to take my treatment at the correct hour… When I had only one pill left I had the courage to go out and seek some more treatment. I went to see nu
'"/>

Source:Public Library of Science


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Potential Drug Target For Treating Cocaine Abuse Found
2. NCI Researchers Confirm the Effectiveness of Immunotherapy Approach to Treating Melanoma
3. Opiates Better Than Sedatives For Treating Newborns In Withdrawal
4. Treating populations infected with HIV and latent TB could speed the emergence of drug-resistant TB
5. Ocean dead zones trigger sex changes in fish, posing extinction threat
6. How to manage forests in hurricane impact zones
7. NIH Calls on Scientists to Speed Public Release of Research Publications
8. AIDS Public Awareness Campaign Expands Following Report Of Rapidly Progressive HIV
9. Public collections of DNA and RNA sequence reach 100 gigabases
10. Public release of pig genomic sequences
11. PLoS ONE is launched by the Public Library of Science

Post Your Comments:
(Date:11/24/2009)... Spanish . , The presence of increased body...substances in the blood, hinders the loss and main...ject of the University of Navarra conducted by Est...f Pharmacy. , The project, entitled "A nutrigene...rol of body weight and inflammation," examines how...
(Date:11/23/2009)...- The time of day matters to forest trees dealing ... a research team led by Professor Malcolm Campbell...al for research and colleagues in the department o...s. , Capitalizing on their previous work to de...eam examined how poplar trees use their 45,000 gen...
(Date:11/23/2009)...y provides "incontrovertible evidence" that the vo...atra about 73,000 years ago deforested much of cen...esearchers report. , The volcano ejected an esti...ere, leaving a crater (now the world,s largest vol...ometers wide. Ash from the event has been found in...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):It can be predicted the reaction obese patients will have to a diet 2Time of day matters to thirsty trees, U of T researcher discovers 2Supervolcano eruption -- in Sumatra -- deforested India 73,000 years ago 2China Medicine Enhances Management Team with Appointments of New Chief Financial Officer and Finance Manager 55690 1China Medicine Enhances Management Team with Appointments of New Chief Financial Officer and Finance Manager 55690 2China Medicine Enhances Management Team with Appointments of New Chief Financial Officer and Finance Manager 55690 3China Medicine Enhances Management Team with Appointments of New Chief Financial Officer and Finance Manager 55690 4Prostate Net Announces 3A Inaugural Fore 21 Informed Decisions Golf Outing 55688 1Prostate Net Announces 3A Inaugural Fore 21 Informed Decisions Golf Outing 55688 2Prostate Net Announces 3A Inaugural Fore 21 Informed Decisions Golf Outing 55688 3Prostate Net Announces 3A Inaugural Fore 21 Informed Decisions Golf Outing 55688 4Rib X Pharmaceuticals Antibiotic Drug Discovery Platform Discovers Novel Compounds with Activity Against Key Multiple Drug Resistant Gram negative Bac 13736 1Rib X Pharmaceuticals Antibiotic Drug Discovery Platform Discovers Novel Compounds with Activity Against Key Multiple Drug Resistant Gram negative Bac 13736 2Rib X Pharmaceuticals Antibiotic Drug Discovery Platform Discovers Novel Compounds with Activity Against Key Multiple Drug Resistant Gram negative Bac 13736 3
...ly, Harvard researchers reported that children wit...ing it nearly impossible to develop a simple genet...of Missouri researchers are studying 3-D imaging t...rain structures of children with autism spectrum d... formula for earlier detection of the disorder. Th...
...nce Picks, discover new information on the Arctic,....4 earthquake that rattled Los Angeles, and find o...n Alaska. Learn about carbon farming, a plague vac... sinkers are impacting nearby fish and wildlife. T...ow the Chinese culture is being incorporated into ...
... the Environment has awarded five faculty planning...Stanford that help solve the world,s urgent demand...uman survival and well-being, yet in poor countrie...e water supplies, and more than 2 billion lack bas...nior Fellow Richard Luthy, a professor of civil an...
Other Biology News:Researchers study facial structures, brain abnormalities to reveal formula for detection of autism 2USGS news: August science picks 2USGS news: August science picks 3USGS news: August science picks 4USGS news: August science picks 5USGS news: August science picks 6USGS news: August science picks 7USGS news: August science picks 8USGS news: August science picks 9USGS news: August science picks 10New planning grants to fund research on freshwater issues 2New planning grants to fund research on freshwater issues 3
(Date:11/26/2009)...eneration of ultrasmall transistors and more power...miconducting nanowires are closer to reality after...versity and the University of California at Los An...ate nanowires with layers of different materials t... is a critical requirement for making efficient tr...
(Date:11/25/2009)... to Speak at Economic Club of Canada , ... 2009 -- Ambassador to Speak at Economic Club of C...or for International Investment, and Chairman and ...raphy of David Appia go to www.investinfrance.org...eet with press to discuss recent pro-business init...
(Date:11/25/2009)... 25 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Sinovac Biotech Ltd. ( SV...announced today that it executed,a joint venture (...e,Technology Co., Ltd. (Sinovac Dalian). The JV wi...man-use vaccines. Sinovac will contribute its expe...zing world-class vaccines; the,other party will br...
(Date:11/24/2009)...man . , Whether it,s CD packaging, container...ncy Identification) are increasingly finding their...label objects or goods and identify them automatic...an read and process the data contained in the labe...uction conditions of up to 100 degrees Celsius. Bu...
Breaking Biology Technology:Nanowires key to future transistors, electronics 2Nanowires key to future transistors, electronics 3French Ambassador for International Investment to Visit Toronto December 11 2Sinovac Establishes Joint Venture to Expand Human-Use Vaccine Development and Manufacturing Capabilities 2Sinovac Establishes Joint Venture to Expand Human-Use Vaccine Development and Manufacturing Capabilities 3Intelligence inside metal components 2
...Inc. (Nasdaq:,SQNM) today announced that a live au...ll be provided for its analyst and investor briefi... the event are as follows: (Logo: http://www.ne... Sequenom Today and Tomorrow, When: Monda...Where: http://www.sequenom.com , How: Li...
...ll Alliance, the leading,management consulting fir...ndustries, today announced that Ben Bonifant, Vice...ment practice, will moderate a panel discussion,at...erence hosted by,Windhover Information. The confer...riott Financial Center in New York City. The pane...
...ck Graduate Institute,(KGI) today announced a part...eration Bioscience Leaders" forum to help women ma... will host the week-long forum from Jan. 13-18, 20...rom and network with women executives from,pharmac...s along with,faculty from KGI. "We are delighted ...
Other Biology Technology:Sequenom to Webcast Analyst and Investor Briefing Presentation on September 24 2Campbell Alliance to Moderate Senior-Level Panel Discussion at Windhover Pharmaceutical Strategic Alliances Conference 2Campbell Alliance to Moderate Senior-Level Panel Discussion at Windhover Pharmaceutical Strategic Alliances Conference 3KGI and Smith College Establish Leadership Forum for Women in Bioscience 2
Mouse Anti-Human JRKL Monoclonal Antibody, Unconjugated, Clone 4E10 from Abnova Corporation
... power supply (Cat. No. Minis 300VS) is equipped w...and native PAGE applications. Furthermore, the pow...r pairs can be used simultaneously. The Minis Powe...er own power supply in laboratories to efficiently...
...g system for detection of very low level of lumine...treme sensitive camera to detect low level light i...disease research, gene expression, circadian rhyth...th a motor-driven camera inside the light-tight ca...
...emium quality recombinant form of Thermus aquaticu...able for a wide range of PCR applications. To ensu..., each preparation is extensively tested in a vari...ase possesses an integral 5′→3′ ...
Biology Products: