http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=960&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth VOA English - Health en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:49:39 GMT 2009-11-23T19:49:39Z en-us http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=69963137&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FSouth-Africa-AIDS-PT1-Taylor-16Nov09-69963137.html In South Africa, the lives of thousands of HIV-positive people are at risk because the government has not provided life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to many of those who need them. South Africa is one of the countries most affected by HIV/AIDS, with more than five-and-a half-million people living with the virus and at least two-and-a-half million killed by AIDS-related illnesses. The worst shortages of ARVs are in the central Free State province. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:44:30 GMT d7fa51619e632dc28eede4ca0d2d7969 Darren Taylor 2009-11-22T18:44:30Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70708712&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fsouth-africa-aids-distribution-taylor-e2a-70708712.html In South Africa, people with HIV are dying because they don’t have access to the medicine that would keep them alive. The government has pledged to provide antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to many of the HIV-positive people who need them. The pills bolster weak immune systems, allowing people with HIV/AIDS to live long and productive lives. But in some parts of South Africa, state clinics have run out of the medicines or nurses are rationing them in fear of shortages in the near future. VOA collected personal stories from AIDS victims and their families who are trying to cope with the shortage of drugs. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:40:00 GMT fb3b449797e6884d9e736c099f0e6c1a Darren Taylor 2009-11-23T12:40:00Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=71739277&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FHajj-Pilgrims-Add-H1N1-Vaccine-to-Ritual-71739277.html About 2.5 million Muslims are converging on Mecca this week to take part in the annual Hajj. This year many pilgrims are adding extra step to their preparations for the ritual - getting the H1N1 vaccine. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:49:39 GMT eb3959511e563d394cd096c2e8e7d605 2009-11-23T19:49:39Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70854692&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FSenate-Democrats-Advance-Health-Care-Reform-Bill-70854692.html Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut announces the results of the cloture vote which paves the way for full-scale debate starting later this month Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:48:01 GMT 9413a140aa07f2bc1a185aef5746a9f8 Cindy Saine 2009-11-22T14:48:01Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=71669067&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Faids-women-decapua-23nov09-71669067.html AIDS Accountability International scorecard rates country responses to pandemic Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:46:46 GMT 57f6691a8f9fd0818f500e45cd90cba9 Joe DeCapua 2009-11-23T17:46:46Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70712247&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FClinicians-react-to-shortage-of-antiretrovirals.html South Africa’s national government protocol requires state health facilities to provide antiretroviral medication to ill, HIV-infected people. However, independent health groups continue to receive reports of HIV-infected people dying because certain state clinics are not giving them life-prolonging antiretroviral - - ARV – medicine. Some nurses are rationing the drugs fearing shortages in the near future while some local South African health officials deny there is a crisis. In the final part of this week’s series, VOA’s Darren Taylor speaks with one of the country’s leading HIV/AIDS experts. He sketches a “deadly culture of denial” that he says is still present among some health officials in South Africa regarding the epidemic. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:04:51 GMT d06fa6a2572b3bfed751c97b0de3ef2a Darren Taylor 2009-11-22T19:04:51Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70703977&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FSouth-Africa-AIDS-Pt4-Gov-Taylor-e2a-70703977.html The South African government has said it won’t be able to meet its target of providing essential medicines to 80% of sick HIV-infected people by 2011. Five and a half million South Africans are living with HIV/AIDS. Many need antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to keep them alive. ARVs strengthen weak immune systems, helping prevent HIV-positive people from contracting potentially fatal opportunistic infections. But shortages of the pills are increasingly threatening the lives of HIV-infected South Africans. The crisis is especially bad in the central Free State province, where HIV disease is among the 10 leading causes of death, according to the government-run board Statistics South Africa. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:30:00 GMT eb7294b7b4c030fdb6059db56082c5a7 Darren Taylor 2009-11-23T12:30:00Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70701687&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FSouth-Africai-AIDS-Pt2-Taylor-e2a-70701687.html The South African government has pledged to give life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to 900,000 HIV-infected people by March next year. But many of those who currently need the medicines to stay alive aren’t getting them. At some state clinics and hospitals, there are drug shortages and insufficient training for nursing staff. Staff nurses are overworked and have difficulty finding the time necessary to teach patients how to take the pills properly. This scenario is leading to serious illness and in some cases, say health professionals, to death. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:44:05 GMT 1a7593ae8757603c961de1f8f33b6df9 Bill Eagle 2009-11-22T18:44:05Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=71014732&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FUS-Senate-Braces-for-Tough-Health-Care-Debate-71014732.html Debate could have a big impact on next year's congressional election Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:29:38 GMT eb9e57d2a45ec258334934faac2bb757 Paula Wolfson 2009-11-22T20:29:38Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70651422&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FUS-Senate-Health-Care-Reform-Vote-20NOV09--70651422.html US Senate is scheduled to take crucial vote on Saturday on legislation crafted by majority Democrats to reform US health care system. Democrats, facing expected unanimous opposition from Senate Republicans, need to ensure all 60 of their members vote in favor of moving ahead to full debate Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:05:14 GMT abbdf2ec6ffb7ac940282ee31cb76771 Dan Robinson 2009-11-21T18:05:14Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70662932&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FWHO--H1N1-May-Be-Peaking-in-N-Hemisphere-But-Outbreak-Not-Over-70662932.html Transmission remains active and geographically widespread in places like the United States Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:46:15 GMT 615d58789adce9ff384acaf737c57309 VOA News 2009-11-20T23:46:15Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=69466987&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-04-voa23.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:35:30 GMT 7a6ad6b001397d11ebf3567fa65a1ad0 2009-11-10T15:35:30Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70614582&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FWashington-DC-Firefighters-Often-on-Front-Line-of-Health-Care-70614582.html Fire Dept. shoulders costs in neighborhoods lacking doctors and medical clinics Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:13:58 GMT 21920160ba41758bdb578a1860d3b28c Jacqueline Rogers 2009-11-20T16:13:58Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70423832&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-18-voa56-70423832.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:32:51 GMT 37829f035a9106091245e9d65f57c7b1 2009-11-21T00:32:51Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70423232&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-14-voa3-70423232.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:11:58 GMT b0ee98a97c86ed1c0c5631c4d4686108 2009-11-21T00:11:58Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70423207&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-13-voa45-70423207.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:09:27 GMT e6ac624f5c160ec7bc3451fff497131f 2009-11-21T00:09:27Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=70422967&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-13-voa43-70422967.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08:35 GMT 1c2a39d684055a4878b0a38f3566b200 2009-11-21T00:08:35Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=69823147&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2FUNICEF-children-report-2009.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:30:45 GMT f3f65d728d3eda7ad4c2c8672b2e521b 2009-11-20T23:30:45Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=69822892&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-11-voa44-69822892.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:27:39 GMT ce38cd5eb6dabe4ff040caa0faed08c9 2009-11-20T23:27:39Z http://www1.voanews.com/r?19=961&43=571347&44=69823242&32=7079&7=578962&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fa-13-2009-11-11-voa1-69823242.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:26:02 GMT 0dd25f1fcda4f572348f1337a53c1250 2009-11-20T23:26:02Z