Latest News

The medical organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) today    released new evidence at the 6th South African AIDS Conference in  Durban on early success using the high-strength antibiotic, linezolid  as part of a treatment regimen for patients with extensively drug-  resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). This is some of the first clinical data  from both an African and primary care context suggesting that  linezolid is safe and effective for treating patients with XDR-TB,  including those co-infected with HIV.

Despite growing rates of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), and mounting global evidence on the effectiveness of linezolid in treating the disease, access to the drug in South Africa is limited due to high prices. However, as more quality-assured generics become available, South Africa has the chance to seek alternatives to the single supplier currently on the domestic market.

Continue reading

The 2014 Ebola outbreak is one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history and the first in West Africa. It is affecting four countries in West Africa: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, but does not pose a significant risk to the U.S. public. CDC is working with other U.S. government agencies, the World Health Organization, and other domestic and international partners in an international response to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to help coordinate technical assistance and control activities with partners. CDC has deployed several teams of public health experts to the West Africa region and plans to send additional public health experts to the affected countries to expand current response activities.

Continue reading