International News  | Kyrgyz Makes Progress Against TB KYRGYZSTAN :: TB
Central Asia Online (05.07.2014) :: By Asyl Osmonaliyeva | | | Central Asia Online reported that Kyrgyzstan has seen a drop in overall TB cases, but cases of drug-resistant TB have increased. Last year, the country registered 5,710 new TB cases, 141 fewer cases than the year before. However, drug-resistant TB cases increased by 356 in the same timeframe, and the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the small former Soviet republic as one of 27 countries that have a high prevalence of drug-resistant TB.
"The main reason for the growing incidence of MDR TB [multidrug-resistant TB] is inadequate or interrupted treatment," said Abdulaat Kadyrov, director of the National Phthisiology Centre. Health experts say poverty, which affects nearly half of the population, contributes to drug-resistant TB because it interferes with patients’ commitment to treatment. TB in prisons also has been a central issue of transmission.
Cost and the duration of treatment also affect patients’ ability to finish the regimen. Regular TB treatment costs the equivalent of $90 and takes approximately six months, whereas MDR TB costs $4,200 and can take up to two years.
Kyrgyzstan, working with international aid groups, has seen some success with an awareness campaign that advertises free TB treatment. "We've seen a reduced incidence of TB-related deaths: from 8.4 cases per 100,000 residents in 2012 to 7.6 cases in 2013," Kadyrov said. To help fight TB, the United Nations Development Program Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has given the country almost $19.4 million since 2011. |  Read Full Article | Share this Article     | | Back to Top  |  | | Medical News  | HealthHIV: Nearly 50% of Primary Care Providers Lack Knowledge About HIV Treatment UNITED STATES :: HIV/AIDS
News-Medical.Net (05.02.2014) | | | News-Medical.Net reported on HealthHIV’s “Third Annual State of HIV Primary Care National Survey” report, performed in partnership with Medscape, LLC, to “assess the current state of integrating HIV care and treatment services into primary care.” The researchers surveyed medical doctors, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, researchers, health administrators, social workers, case managers, and consumers.
According to the survey, many primary care physicians (PCPs) are treating more HIV-positive patients who are now covered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Forty percent of respondents complained that their areas of residence do not have enough providers treating HIV, and 50 percent of providers reported that their HIV caseloads have increased. Also, HIV PCPs worked mostly in urban or metropolitan areas and treated mostly underserved populations such as racial and ethnic minorities, homeless persons, and immigrants.
HealthHIV Executive Director Brain Hujdich stated that when the survey compared PPACA enrollment numbers with number of PCPs added, the results showed that while the need for healthcare increased through enrollment in healthcare plans, the supply of clinicians was decreasing, resulting in a shortage of 8,000 PCPs to treat the new enrollees. Approximately half (49 percent) of PCPs surveyed did not treat HIV patients due to a reported lack of knowledge of HIV treatment, and 48 percent expressed a need for more clinical training to include HIV care in their practice.
HIV patients may have other health problems that require care such as obesity, syphilis, cardiovascular disease, depression, and renal disease. As a result, HIV specialists are adding overall primary care. Other major barriers to quality care that HIV PCPs mentioned include retaining patients in care and providing substance abuse and mental health support. Providers also need more training on healthcare reform, particularly service delivery and reimbursement.
Hujdich explained that in response to the survey, HealthHIV has developed a five-point “Road Map HIV Primary Care Integration,” which focuses on the following: “recruit HIV workforce; educate PCPs on HIV; treat the whole
patient; collaborate with colleagues and consumers; and act on the PPACA.”
The full report is available at www.healthhiv.org. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | | Local and Community News | | News Briefs | | | Merlene Davis: Free Health Screenings for Uninsured Women in Honor of Mother's Day KENTUCKY :: HIV/AIDS,STDs
Lexington Herald-Leader (05.07.2014) :: By Merlene Davis | | | The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that in celebration of Mother’s Day and National Women’s Health Week, Kentucky’s Lexington Rescue Mission Outreach Center will host a Women’s Health and Wellness Day on May 9 for uninsured women. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the center, located at 444 Glen Arvin Avenue in Lexington, will provide free HIV and other STD screenings. The event also will offer other services such as Pap smears, clinical breast exams, mammograms for women older than 40, and additional screenings. No appointments are necessary for the services. The event will provide snacks and women may receive chair massages while they wait. The Wellness Day is made possible by a $9,300 grant from the Good Samaritan Foundation, which assists with clinic expenses for women throughout the year. For further information, call (859) 381–9600. | | Read Full Article | Share this Article | | Back to Top | | | |
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