S. Africa: Report Suggests Preparing for "Emergencies" to Prevent Disrupted ARV Treatment

A report (.pdf) from the Health Economies and HIV/AIDS Research Division at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa recommends strategies that can be used to keep HIV patients on antiretroviral drugs during an emergency when treatment is often disrupted, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The report looked at "three recent crises that caused treatment disruption -- Mozambique's 2008 floods, Zimbabwe's ongoing public healthcare crisis, and South Africa's 2007 public sector strike -- to identify potential strategies for keeping patients on treatment during emergencies." It found that "poor planning" was the "biggest weakness in responding to gaps in treatment access, and suggested that doctors and patients receive better training on what to do during disruptions," the news service writes. The article also looks at how funding can impact treatment disruption (3/1).

Back to other news for March 2010