What is already known about this topic?
HIV viral load monitoring is recommended to assess antiretroviral treatment success; however, low- and middle-income countries face financial, operational, and country-specific challenges that must be overcome to adequately scale up viral load monitoring for all HIV-positive persons.
What is added by this report?
Sub-Saharan African countries have overcome challenges to initiate and scale up HIV viral load testing to monitor patients receiving ART. By 2018, seven of eight assessed countries reported viral load suppression rates of ≥85%. Logistical problems remain in several countries.
What are the implications for public health practice?
Viral load testing in low- and middle-income countries enables monitoring of viral load suppression at the individual and population level, which is necessary to achieve global epidemic control.
Whether you say yes or no to the power of the Ouija board, there s no dismissing the legacy of this supposed spirit communication tool that inspires intrigue and amusement and sometimes fear.
For more than 125 years, the Ouija has been an all-American invention that s alternately viewed as a practical way to reach out to the beyond, a slumber party game and a great narrative device in pop culture. Some even see it as a negative creation and a potential gateway for the nastier denizens of the spirit realm to enter our turf.
Regardless of the Ouija s power (or lack thereof?), it is an undeniable part of our nation s history. That history was honored on Oct. 14 when the Talking Board Historical Society led by the world s leading talking board expert, Robert Murch worked with the City of Baltimore to install a plaque commemorating the location of an April 1890 séance where the board was named.
English At Large recognizes Woburn volunteers
COURTESY OF ENGLISH AT LARGE
English At Large is honoring the service and commitment of hundreds of local people during National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 18-24.
Among those being recognized are Woburn volunteers Amanda Banzy, Mary Barrone, Nancy Bowen, Rita DeBellis, Prachi Dhavale and Matt Roper.
This year especially, their service has been a lifeline for local immigrants with limited English skills, giving them the skills and support to provide for themselves and their families during COVID-19. English At Large is thanking its volunteers for stepping up and often outside their comfort zone to learn the tools and technology they needed to deliver instructional programs in a virtual world.
VAntage Point
Vaccine progress for Veterans, VA staff
Administering vaccines as soon as they are available
VA utilizes several ways to provide vaccines to as many Veterans as possible. Here are just a few of the many scenarios at VA medical centers across the country.
Before many people wake up each day, South Texas VA pharmacy staff are already busy at work, preparing hundreds of doses of the COVID-19 vaccination for the first of many COVID vaccination clinics.
This first clinic was designated for Veterans over the age of 75.
The army of volunteer staff was ready, covering all bases. Veterans were invited inside to stay warm and enjoy hot coffee, water and doughnuts. Staff set up the largest waiting room in its history, putting out 140 physically distanced chairs that stretched through multiple hallways.