Currently 45% of TB diagnosis is only clinical and not confirmed with tests. Up to 20% of these diagnoses are incorrect. A common missed diagnosis is fungal lung infection. The most common of these is chronic pulmonary aspergillosis or CPA. The treatment of TB and CPA treatment is completely different and untreated CPA has an… Read more »
Around 138 million women are affected by a distressing but treatable fungal infection world-wide, according to a research review by University of Manchester scientists. And the incidence of recurrent thrush, warns lead researcher Dr Riina Rautemaa-Richardson, is set to rise to an estimated 158 million people by 2030. The team from The University of Manchester… Read more »
GAFFI has elected to appoint Professor David Denning as its Chief Executive and Ms Emma Orefuwa as Chief Executive – Kenya. David has decided to take a more active role in implementing GAFFI’s strategy. He will now take the role as Chief Executive, which he combines with his clinical, research and teaching work in Manchester… Read more »
LONDON – 95 experts from 27 countries meeting in April 2018 in Kampala, Uganda, agreed consensus recommendations for the WHO on which diagnostic tests should be considered ‘Essential’, for low and middle-income countries. This was the first time such a consensus meeting has been held for fungal diseases and AIDS and was timed to precede… Read more »
Gaps in basic data on disease prevalence hinders accurate burden estimates for most fungal diseases: there is a 15-fold difference between the official asthma prevalence in Kazakhstan and the likely true minimal estimate; almost no epidemiological data on fungal diseases in Jordan; no direct records of fungal keratitis from many countries; and no data on… Read more »
Prompt initiation of antifungal therapy can make the difference between life and death for patients with invasive aspergillosis. Point-of-care diagnostics (POC; a.k.a. ‘bedside testing’) allows clinicians to begin treatment right away while awaiting confirmation by culture and histological examination. Two companies have released affordable and simple to use POC tests for invasive aspergillosis. Both tests… Read more »
Following its Advisory meeting in April 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued its first listing of Essential Diagnostics. The list is split into general laboratory tests (n= 58) and specific tests for key infections (HIV, TB, hepatitis, syphilis and human papilloma virus) (n=55). It is also split into sections relating to testing in… Read more »
GAFFI released its 2017 annual report at the European Conference of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) following its Board meeting. GAFFI’s Guatemala program takes centre stage showing the immediate diagnostic benefits of rapid screening of ill patients with HIV infection for AIDS for cryptococcal diseases, histoplasmosis and tuberculosis. Other highlights from 2017 include inclusion… Read more »
In Kampala today, experts from 27 countries have developed consensus on which diagnostic tests should be deemed ‘Essential’ by the World Health Organization. The WHO has had a listing of essential medicines for decades and has just launched a process for approving key tests for improved health and public health. This is the first time… Read more »
Uganda 22nd March 2018: The 3rd UK East Africa Health Improvement and Investment Summit took place on the 22nd – 23rd of March in Kampala, Uganda. Over 400 delegates from around the world heard Uganda Minister Sarah Opendi, British High Commissioner Sir Peter West and Lord Nigel Crisp, Chairman of the UK all-Party Committee on… Read more »
