Susan D. Jones » Aside

Protection against HIV transmission

Susan D. Jones — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:53:10 +0000

The HIV Prevention Trials Network recently released results from a randomized, multi-site, international clinical trial that shows immediate ARV drug therapy to be crucial in preventing transmission of HIV to HIV-negative partners of those with the virus. The trial compared transmission outcomes of HIV-positive study participants who were given ARV treatment immediately with those who began an ARV protocol after their white blood cells fell below a specified level. Early use of ARV treatment was shown by the study to reduce transmission to non-infected partners by 96%. This is an important breakthrough linking HIV treatment and prevention, and another reason governments, NGOs, and individuals must push for better access to ARVs in rural and underdeveloped regions of the world.

Saving Lives at Birth

Susan D. Jones — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:21:49 +0000

Yesterday marked the official launch of Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development. The partnership between USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Norwegian government was created to seek out new and innovative approaches to improve maternal health in rural, resource-poor settings. During the first funding cycle, the Challenge partners intend to invest $50 million in groundbreaking, sustainable projects focused on the development of new technology, improvement of reliability and eficiency of service delivery, and engaging communities in maternal health promotion.

Funding deficit for water and sanitation

Susan D. Jones — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:37:11 +0000

Over the past ten years, aid funding to sub-Saharan Africa for HIV and other health issues has increased by over 500%. Funding for the region for water and sanitation issues has increased by only 79%. However, diseased related to lack of safe water and sanitation compose half of all hospital admissions in the developing world. Those diseases kill more children every year than malaria, measles, and HIV combined.
[This blog is part of Blog Action Day 2010.]

Please support these organizations that use sustainable solutions to improve access to safe water and sanitation:
Charity: Water
Water Aid