East Africa

Co-trimoxazole discontinuation linked to increased malaria

NAIROBI, 11 April 2012 (PlusNews) - Abruptly discontinuing co-trimoxazole - an antibiotic used to prevent opportunistic infections in HIV-positive people - can lead to a higher incidence of malaria and diarrhoea compared with patients who keep on taking the drug, a new study has found. full report

KENYA: Better training needed for counsellors of HIV-discordant couples

NAKURU/NAIROBI, 5 April 2012 (PlusNews) - The Kenyan government has issued guidelines on counselling for HIV-discordant couples, but many counsellors in smaller, rural health centres remain untrained. full report

UGANDA: Deaf demand inclusion in HIV programmes

KAMPALA, 2 April 2012 (PlusNews) - Leaders of the deaf community in Uganda say the government's HIV programmes have failed them because their special needs are not taken into consideration. full report

UGANDA: HIV services in western refugee camps overwhelmed

ISINGIRO, 29 March 2012 (PlusNews) - Health workers manning five health centres in two refugee camps in the southwestern Ugandan district of Isingiro say they are overwhelmed by the high number of refugees and local residents in need of HIV services. full report

KENYA: Many sex workers are married, new report reveals

NAIROBI, 27 March 2012 (PlusNews) - A new survey of commercial sex work in Kenya, the first to include male sex workers, has revealed that 40 percent of female and male commercial sex workers are in marriages or stable unions. full report

UGANDA: Senior health officials suspended amid TB drug shortage

KAMPALA/GULU, 23 March 2012 (PlusNews) - Uganda's Minister of Health, Christine Ondoa, has suspended several senior health officials, including the managers of the national HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programmes, for poor performance and drug shortages. full report

HEALTH: Childhood tuberculosis a “hidden epidemic”

NAIROBI/NAROK, 22 March 2012 (PlusNews) - Globally, an estimated 200 children die from tuberculosis every day despite the availability of cheap drugs to prevent and treat this highly infectious condition, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has said. full report

UGANDA: Higher HIV rate cause for concern

KAMPALA, 21 March 2012 (PlusNews) - Uganda's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has risen from 6.4 percent to 6.7 percent, according to a recently released national AIDS Indicator Survey. full report

TANZANIA: New pharmaceutical plant to produce ARVs

DAR ES SALAAM, 6 March 2012 (PlusNews) - Commercial production of Tanzania's first locally manufactured antiretroviral drugs will start in the next few months; it is hoped the country will eventually provide medicines for half of all HIV-positive Tanzanians. full report

KENYA: Male circumcision programme suffers setback

KISUMU, 2 March 2012 (PlusNews) - Kenya's most recent male circumcision rapid results initiative failed to meet its target, and officials are stepping up efforts to identify and fix the problems that could foil the government's campaign to circumcise more than one million men by 2013. full report
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