The US Ambassador to Namibia, H.E. Thomas F. Daughton, launched CBART group ARV refills on June 1, 2017. These groups are implemented widely in Onandjokwe and other districts in northern Namibia, where the HIV burden is high. During the CBART group ARV refill initiative launch, the ambassador remarked “simple solutions = best solutions; bring the … Read more
Theresia Cloete was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in 2002. She was put on treatment but after four months stopped taking her TB medication. Last year, she was diagnosed with drug-resistant TB. Like Cloete, many TB patients stop taking their life-saving medication before they are cured. She is now one of eight in-patients waiting for stabilization … Read more
As part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2017, we present a Q&A with Mohan P. Joshi, MBBS, MSc, MD, SIAPS principal technical advisor. Dr. Joshi is responsible for providing technical guidance and support in the planning and implementation of rational medicine use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related activities. Are there new AMR threats that are particularly worrying? … Read more
A presentation by Mohan P. Joshi, Principal Technical Advisor and Lead for Pharmaceutical Services, SIAPS, at USAID in Arlington, VA on November 9 2017.
An off-site training was held for 104 pharmacy personnel (32 males, 72 females) responsible for managing HIV and TB medicines in 88 health facilities in the 4 regions around the country. SIAPS supported the training, which included pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses. The trainings took place over August 7–17, 2017, and each region was trained … Read more
In Namibia, a preliminary review of EDT records suggests that children form a small proportion of the patients accessing ART in any given setting, nationally composing 8% of the patients on ART in the MoHSS facilities. Over the years, managing children has been complicated with formulations that have not been friendly for children, complicated regimens, and … Read more
A key element of successful tuberculosis (TB) control programs is adherence to treatment. Non-adherence results in increased length and severity of illness, death, disease transmission, and drug resistance. The purpose of this study was to estimate the morbidity and mortality impact and economic costs of non-adherence to TB medicines resulting from treatment interruption due to … Read more
One of the key elements of successful tuberculosis (TB) control programs is adherence to treatment, which is a cornerstone of most international and national policies and guidelines. Non-adherence results in increased length and severity of illness, death, disease transmission, and drug resistance. Treatment interruption is often due to patient-related factors—classed as loss to follow-up (LTFU)—but … Read more
One of the key elements of successful tuberculosis (TB) control programs is adherence to treatment, which is a cornerstone of most international and national policies and guidelines. Non-adherence results in increased length and severity of illness, death, disease transmission, and drug resistance. Treatment interruption is often due to patient-related factors—classed as loss to follow-up (LTFU)—but … Read more
By Jane Briggs, Principal Technical Advisor More than 900,000 children die of pneumonia each year (more than malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS combined), according to the World Health Organization. Many of these cases go undiagnosed and untreated. How can this be when we know what works? A five-day, twice-daily amoxicillin regimen—in either dispersible tablet (DT) or oral … Read more
