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From:	Lindsay Menard-Freeman [ profile ]
Subject:	NPR: HIV Treatment in Africa Brings Average Lifespan
Sent:	Jul 19th, 2011 - 13:02:41

	http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/07/19/138490855/hiv-treatment-in-africa-brings-near-normal-lifespan?ps=sh_sthdl Morning Edition July 19, 2011- (excerpt) Lately the good news about HIV/AIDS just keeps rolling in. Last week two studies demonstrated that a daily antiviral pill protects sexually active men and women from getting infected. Now researchers are showing that the life expectancy of already-infected African patients getting HIV treatment almost matches that of their uninfected countrymen. "This is the first study that has looked at how long those people can plan to live," study author Edward Mills told Shots. "And we've found very, very positive results." Actuarial analysis (the kind life insurance companies do to gauge the remaining lifespan of someone at a given age and gender in a given society) reveals that more than 22,000 Ugandans on HIV treatment can expect to live almost as long as those who don't carry the virus. The average life expectancy at birth in Uganda is 55 years. ... -- Lindsay Menard-Freeman Program Officer Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, a program of TakingITGlobal www.gyca.org www.tigweb.org (T): +212.661.6111 (E): lindsay (at) gyca.org 540 President St. 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11215 Donate now! http://tigurl.org/gycadonate/ GYCA is a youth-led global network of over 5,500 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 173 countries world-wide. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst their peers.