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Prof Eric Buch, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria, in partnership with European Delegation to South Africa, MRC Inflammation and Immunity Unit and the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, UKZN, invite members of the media to attend the launch of the 'HIV and TB Resistance & Clinical Management Case Book' that is authored by Dr Theresa Rossouw of UP and Drs Richard Lessells and Tulio de Oliveira of the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies. The details are as follows:

Date: Friday, 15 March 2013

Time: 10h00 - 13h00

Venue: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, Room 1-20

Drug resistance is one of the main challenges confronting HIV and TB programmes in Africa. Facing these challenges requires understanding how drug resistance develops as well as up-to-date knowledge of how to diagnose and manage drug-resistant HIV and TB disease.

This book uses a case-based learning approach to present to health care workers the most important information needed to offer their patients the best possible care; and to improve their programmes to prevent the emergence and spread of drug resistance. The focus is on the interpretation of diagnostic tests related to drug resistance.

This book will help health care workers to:

- Learn how drug resistance develops in HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

- Understand when to suspect drug resistance and which diagnostic tests can be used to diagnose resistance

- Get up-to-date knowledge on how to interpret genotypic resistance tests for HIV and new diagnostic tests for TB, including Xpert MTB/RIF

- Acquire information on how to select second-line regimens for HIV and TB and how to offer comprehensive care for patients with drug-resistant HIV and TB

The book is published by the MRC and was funded by the MRC with grants from the European Delegation to South Africa, the US CDC/PEPFAR & the Wellcome Trust. It is published under an open access license. Approximately 2,000 copies of the book will be sent to health facilities and medical personnel in South Africa.

This book is part of the long-standing capacity building program of the Southern African Treatment Resistance Network (SATuRN), which has trained 1,650 clinicians, nurses and pharmacists in Southern Africa via free capacity building workshops. The book launch is preceded by a workshop to 50 ?front-line? clinicians and nurses in uMkhanyakude district, which is one of the most deprived districts in South Africa and at the epicentre of the HIV and TB syndemic, with particularly high levels of drug-resistant TB.

'This book is published at a very important time as the National Department of Health has expanded TB drug resistance testing to most of the facilities in South Africa and is planning to do the same for HIV drug resistance testing.' Says Dr. Tulio de Oliveira, director of SATuRN and senior researcher at the Africa Centre.

'The cases presented in the book were produced from years of experience in treating patients with drug-resistant infections and from training of junior clinicians. The cases should cover many of important aspects of managing patients failing ARVs and anti-TB medication' complements Dr. Theresa Rossouw, HIV clinician and researcher at the Department of Immunology, University of Pretoria.

Some comments from reviewers of the Case Book:

'This book is an excellent practical compendium of knowledge in the field of HIV and TB drug resistance that will be of immense use to clinicians, nurses, and other caregivers. It provides expert guidance as to what to do in difficult clinical situations and what steps should be taken to prevent the emergence and transmission of drug resistance.'

Professor Mark A. Wainberg, McGill University, Canada, former president of the International AIDS Society (IAS)

'This is indeed a wonderful book that will be very handy for clinicians, virologists and bacteriologists. It presents a simple but expert introduction to the field of HIV & TB drug resistance, including a brief review of technical details that are needed to understand the cases. The cases are presented in a very structured way, and I specifically like the key learning points. I have no doubt that this will be a book on everybody's desk, either in the office or in the clinic'

Professor Anne-Mieke Vandamme, Rega Institute, AIDS Reference Laboratory, Belgium

For more information on the book or would like to conduct an interview, please do not hesitate to contact:

Mrs Jane Moshoeshoe
HOD Marketing & Communication
Faculty of Health Sciences
Tel: 012 354 1669, Cell: 081 247 533
E-mail: jane.moshoeshoe@up.ac.za

Dr. Theresa Rossouw
Cell: 082 894 2224
E-mail: theresa.rossouw@up.ac.za

For more media information about the University of Pretoria, please contact:

Sanku Tsunke
Media Liaison Officer
Department of University Relations
University of Pretoria
Tel: 012 420 2276, Fax: 012 420 4269, Cell: 071 008 0187
E-mail: sanku.tsunke@up.ac.za

Download press release: PDF (High-resolution), PDF (Low-resolution)

The HIV & TB Drug Resistance Clinical Management Case Book is free for download at our website

News date: 2013-03-06

Links:

http://www.bioafrica.net/cases.php