Zaad Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Hi, The TIME magazine, issue on Global Health (7 Nov '05), had a fascinating article about how some people are desperately trying to save lives throughout the world for years called; 18 Heroes. They speak about a handful of life-threatening diseases with AIDS, TB and Malaria topping the deadly list, but malnutrition seems to be a growing and very serious problem as well. Doctors fighting AIDS in countries such as Rwanda, China, Botswana and Thailand (Mae Sot), others trying to find/create vaccines for Malaria in Congo and Mozambique. Yet others trying to extend the lives of especially kids living with TB in Cambodia until at least they're able to have kids of their own. The malnutrition problems in Honduras, Nepal and India are being 'taken care of' in the form of bringing education to the people and providing nutritional products/foods in low-resource settings where electricity and clean water are unavailable luxuries. They also mention those who're trying to educate villagers in Swaziland, Kenya and Nigeria about the dangers of the HIV-virus. Most of them btw victims or carriers themselves. Another brave woman (wanted by drug gangs and now living in constant peril) trying to stop bad, fake, medicines. 80% of the medications sold there (Nigeria) were deficient in one way or another. Needless to say this caused a lot of deaths too. Her mission has been a very successful one. And those in Zimbabwe trying to better the roads and vehicles on it in order to fasten the delivery in times of emergency for both medicine and patient. And of course the latest one, bird-flu (Asia), which is being kept 'under control'. Perhaps I should say, the damage is now on a WAY lower level than it originally would/could have been thanks to others. Who are all these 'others' I'm speaking of? Dunno exactly and not important really. What IS important though is the fact that they are able to make a difference and they're fellow human beings like everybody else here. The article definitely touched me and who couldn't agree more that every patient, no matter how poor, deserves to receive medical treatment for life-threatening diseases. Numerous times my girl 'gave away' free dental treatment since lots (most) patients in rural areas had no finacial means to cover even a small percentage of the costs. It's not always easy to refuse help to those in serious need, but of course, compared to those suffering in the stories above this is on a very minor scale. Still good to make a difference IMO no matter how small. Just wanted to say 'thanks' to those who go out there and work their asses off in remote places with often not the best conditions one would hope for in order to save a life. Or more. THANK YOU! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-.-.- Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 That was a good article. Thanks for mentioning it. I would not have read it had I not seen your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 A Belgian pharmaceutical company presented yesterday a 3-pill box that cures malaria within 24 hours. Will be available from beginning of next year, and it will be cheap to supply. There goes malaria hopefully ! ( cannot find a link) BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 That would be a serious break through. Does it work with Dengue as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Actually malaria is curable since years, but it took a series of pills to do so over a long period of time. Go explain that in the jungle to people who will not understand and where 80 % of all malaria deaths are young children. Hence, the new 'cure' is basically 3 pills only to be taken at an interval of 12 hours each, one in the morning, one at night, last one in the morning. End of cure and healthy kid, as simple as that. Does not cure dengue though..... BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Munchmaster Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 limbo said:Does it work with Dengue as well? Why would you think it might cure dengue as well? Although both diseases are carried by mosquito's (albeit different kinds of mosquito) denque is a virus whereas malaria is a parasitic infection and the treatments are quite different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Very differnet types of mossies too. The ecenomic damage malaria does is dramatic, people so sick they don;t work, it may not kill you straight off, but plunges the poor parts into even worse ecenomic hardship. Sounds great, hope it comes out soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Zaad, Thank you for posting something that can make us feel good. As long as some people keep looking for ways to make the world a little bit better, it has a chance of being so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaad Posted November 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 BB, They mentioned that this Malaria vaccine is very hard to produce since the parasite is so biologically complex that it's difficult to prime the immune system to fight it off. Also, most of its victims (as you know) are so poor that drug companies are reluctant to take experimental vaccines out of their lab and into the field for human trials. That 3-pill box surely is a life-saver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Zaad, Maybe time to move this to the health section..... AFAIK, it is a cure, not a vaccine. A vaccine provides immunity, a cure does not..... But what do I know, here is the link to the company, maybe the doctors here know more..... BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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