Tea break reading: African palliative care in the news

12^th July – 18^th July 2014

News and views:

Editor’s pick:

Sierra Leone: Ebola in Sierra Leone: battling sadness, fear and disgust on the frontline – An MSF psychologist reveals the trauma of dealing with the Ebola outbreak for medics, cleaners and the families of the dead. The Guardian.
Zambia: People with disabilities left behind in HIV response – The nearly two million people with disabilities in Zambia face significant barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. While the Zambian government has made significant progress scaling-up its response to HIV generally, few programs are accessible to people with disabilities and social stigma prevents their access to HIV services on an equal basis with others. HRW on Youtube.
South Africa: Desmond Tutu: “a dignified death is our right – I am in favour of assisted dying” – Writing in the UK paper ‘The Guardian’, South African Desmond Tutu explains why he is in favour of assisted dying and why he thinks that the ‘manner of Nelson Mandela’s prolonged death was an affront’. Africa edition of ehospice or The Guardian.

Elsewhere in the news:

Global: Leading HIV researchers lost as flight MH17 is downed in Ukraine – International Aids research community in mourning at the loss of 108 delegates flying on MH17 to a conference in Australia. The Daily Telegraph.
Global: AIDS deaths tumble but rising resistance to HIV drugs threatens gains – Warning over growing resistance to antiretrovirals dampens hopes that Aids can be eliminated by 2030. The Guardian.
Global: Allaying fear of addiction, the main barrier to access to opioid medicines for palliative care – As preparations begin for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, Katherine Pettus, PhD, addresses fear-driven opioid policy and calls for integrated education on pain and dependence, and improved clinical practice for both. ehospice.
Global: Healthy gay men urged to take HIV drugs – WHO – The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging all sexually active gay men to take antiretroviral drugs to reduce the spread of HIV. BBC health.
East Africa: The agony of losing a baby – “She was a good baby, just like her big sister Keira. The skin on her cheek was warm and as soft as velvet. I snuggled up closer to her tiny new born body and inhaled her sweet intoxicating baby smell….” The East African Magazine.
West Africa: In pictures: Battling Ebola in West Africa – The BBC reports in pictures the developing Ebola crisis in West Africa. BBC.
Central African Republic: MSF study reveals massive levels of death due to violence against muslims in Central African Republic – A retrospective mortality study conducted by the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) among Central African refugees in Sido, Chad, reveals extreme levels of death during a violent crackdown against the Central African Republic’s (CAR) Muslim minority. Africa edition of ehospice, All Africa and Star Africa.
Ivory Coast: Ivory Coast blocks refugees amid Ebola fears – Ivory Coast has blocked 400 refugees who fled to Liberia from returning home because of fears they could spread the Ebola virus, a UN official has said. BBC Health.
Nigeria: Cancer – Hope at last for improved care for west African countries – According to WHO, cancer accounts for 13 percent of all deaths registered globally and 70 percent of that figure occurs in middle and low income countries. In Nigeria, about 10,000 cancer deaths are recorded annually. The Vanguard and Business Today.
Uganda: First ever palliative care training for pharmacists in Mulago Hospital – Nabirye Elizabeth, a Palliative Care Clinician writes for ehospice about the impact that the first ever training for pharmacists in palliative care in Mulago Hospital is having. Africa edition of ehospice.
Uganda: Uganda scoops $3m Global Fund for TB study – The burden of Tuberculosis cannot be underestimated in the country especially with the increasing number of multi-drug resistant TB cases being registered. The New Vision.
Kenya: 4th Kenya National Palliative Care Conference: Deadline for abstracts fast approaching – The deadline for submission of oral and workshop abstracts for the 4th Kenya National Palliative Care Conference is fast approaching. Kenya edition of ehospice.

Research:

Global: AIDs epidemic under control by 2030 ‘is possible’ – There is a chance the AIDs epidemic can be brought under control by 2030, according to a report by the United Nations Aids agency. BBC health.
Global: One in three Alzheimer’s cases preventable, says research – One in three cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide is preventable, according to research from the University of Cambridge. BBC health.

Jobs, awards and events:

Global: 2nd Paediatric Palliative Care Congress in Rome – An announcement has been made that both the Abstract and Early Bird Registration deadlines have been extended for the 2nd Paediatric Palliative Care Congress to take place from 19 – 21 November 2014 in Rome. Both these deadlines have been extended to 15 July 2014. ehospice.
Global: #HPMGlobal twitter chat. Join Jim Cleary on twitter at 3pm (East Africa Time) every Monday to discuss the latest global palliative care issues. Twitter
Global: 20th International AIDS Conference – The conference will be held from 20-25 July 2014 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Melbourne, Australia and will represent a tremendous opportunity to highlight the diverse nature of the Asia Pacific region’s HIV epidemic and the unique responses to it. International AIDS Society.
Global: World Congress of Psycho-Oncology – The congress, which will be based around the theme of ‘Integrating phsycho-oncology into mainstream cancer care; from research into action’, will bring together experts from around the world to discuss new perspectives in clinical care, new data from research, innovative educational programs, advocacy, organisational issues and cancer policies. It is to beheld in Lisbon, Portugal from 20 to 24 of October 2014. International edition of ehospice.
Africa: Find all the latest jobs in palliative care and related fields – Visit ehospice’s job site to see the latest jobs in palliative care. African edition of ehospice.
South Africa: HPCA 2014 Conference – Who Cares? Improving patient outcomes – The conference will be held between the 15^th and 18^th September 2014 at the Lagood Beach Hotel in Cape Town. More details on the HPCA Conference Website.
Kenya: The 4th Kenya National Palliative Care Conference 2014 – Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) is delighted to announce the 4th National Palliative Care Conference scheduled to take place from 12th to 14th November 2014 at Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi. KEHPCA.
Nigeria: 54th Society of Physiotherapy Annual Scientific Conference and General Meeting – the sub-theme for this year’s conference is ‘The Role of Physiotherapy in Palliative Care for Terminally ill Patients’. It will take place in Asaba, Delta State between the 20^th and 25^th October 2014. NSP.