South Africa Tests AIDS Vaccine

Scientists will use 36 volunteers for the first African-made vaccine candidates to reach testing
in humans. Thirty-six volunteers in South Africa will test the safety of an African-developed
vaccine against H.I.V. The tests are the first step in human clinical trials of two vaccine
candidates developed at the University of Cape Town.
These experimental AIDS vaccines are the first from Africa to reach testing in people.
The National Institutes of Health in the United States provided assistance. Testing with twelve
people began earlier this year in Boston, Massachusetts.
South Africa has more than five million people infected with H.I.V., the largest number of any
country.
South Africa launched the tests last week as the International AIDS Society held a
conference in Cape Town. Other human trials of possible vaccines are taking place around the
world. Scientists hope to get some results later this year.
But during last week's conference, experts reported the first decrease in international
financing for AIDS vaccine research. They say funding dropped from about nine hundred thirty
million dollars in two thousand seven to eight hundred seventy million last year.
Also at the conference, scientists presented the latest findings about new mothers infected with
H.I.V. Two studies showed ways in which anti-H.I.V. drugs could permit infected women to
breastfeed their newborns with less risk of passing the virus to them. The research was done in
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Zambia.
In one study, infected mothers began to take three anti-H.I.V. drugs while breastfeeding
for up to six months. In a second study, the babies were given medicine, instead of their mothers.
The babies received one drug every day during six months of breastfeeding.The researchers said
both methods greatly reduced the risk of H.I.V. infection.
Laura Guay is vice president of research at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS
Foundation, which supported the research. Doctor Guay says the problem in sub-Saharan Africa
is the limited availability of anti-retroviral drugs.
LAURA GUAY: "We know only about thirty-three percent of women have access to a program
that actually has services in place to prevent mother-to-child transmission. So the first challenge
is, how do we reach all the women who do not have access to a prevention program?"
In other new research, a study has found that circumcision does not decrease the risk that
H.I.V. positive men will infect women. The findings, from Uganda, are in the medical journal,
The Lancet.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Transcript
of radio broadcast:
28 July 2009 I'm Steve Ember.
The food we eat influences the blood glucose level
People with diabetes need to control their blood glucose closer to normal level. Whether
they are patients of type 1 or type 2 diabetes, they must know it everyday. Our blood
glucose is normal if it is between 70 and 110 mg/dl measured at 8 hours fasting. But it is
not easy for patients of diabetes to keep their blood glucose at these levels. It is realistic
if we can control our fast blood glucose and 2 hours after meal to be under 200 mg/dl. If
the level is too low (typically less than 70), patients will experience hypoglycemia. In this
condition, patients will tremble, feel weak and very hungry. Sweet food or drinks such as
softdrink, fruit juice, biscuits or glucose tablets will be needed to raise the blood sugar
level. If the blood sugar level is too high, then insulin injection is needed to lower it. Fast-
acting carbohydrate such as apple or orange juice, grapes and regular soda can raise
our blood glucose back to normal.
The levels of blood glucose are not always the same after meal. They depend on the
kind of foods that we usually eat. If we measure them by ourselves, we will able to
understand why our blood glucose is rising or falling. We can also know when the level
is at its highest point or at its lowest point. Then, we will be able to take action to
balance it.

Food
The food that we eat will certainly raise our blood glucose. One to two hours after meal,
the blood glucose will rise to its highest level. So, we have to measure the amount of
food that we eat. We need to control our daily meal, and our lunch, and dinner time so
that we will be able to know when and how our blood glucose rises or falls. By doing
that, we will be able to adjust the amount of insulin injection or medicine that we need to
overcome hyperglycemia.
Various kinds of food causes various blood sugar level. Our food contains carbohydrate,
protein, and fat. These three components raise the glucose level. But carbohydrate is
the strongest component that raises the glucose level.