TASK Up-date Dec 2016 In this Issue: World AIDS DAY Commemoration at Delft CHC 1 World AIDS Day. 3 4 SUN-CTU CAB Annual Workshop Community Interaction Day 5 Director s Corner 6 Meet the Team Delft Community Health Center. Delft Community Health Center in collaboration with TASK, Delft CAB and other organizations held this event at the CHC in delft to commemorate and bring awareness. There were different testing stations, Guest Speakers and entertainment from local artists.
WORLD AIDS DAY World AIDS Day is held on the 1st December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have past on. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988. World AIDS Day is also a great opportunity to raise funds and show your support for people living with HIV. If you feel inspired to support, visit various organization to help through the year. Although World AIDS Day is a great opportunity to talk about HIV, it is important to keep the momentum going all year round. The event was a success, People asked relevant questions and got informed answers from the experts. Amongst the speakers was Dr. Ramonde from TASK and a young lady called Phumeza, Who has travelled all over the world encouraging other TB Patients not to give up and take their medications accordingly. The problems that the 'rest of the population' creates for me makes living with HIV difficult to the point where taking my medication, remaining unemployed and choosing friends carefully appears to be the only comfortable option. - Gary (HIV & AIDS Activist) 2 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
TB/HIV and AIDS Research Workshop. TASK in collaboration with Desmond Tutu Foundation (Emavundleni) - Conducting TB/HIV and AIDS Research workshop for young activists in Delft South. Recruiters ready for next year. Recruiters met to recap and strategize their way forward from the effective work they have been doing so far. They celebrated this year excellent work and cooperation amongst each other and made plans for next year. 3 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
CAB Annual 3 day Workshop. CABS (Community Advisory Boards) from TASK, KidCRU and DTTC attended the annual 3 Day CAB Workshop held at Goudini Spa Resort. The purpose of the break away was to discuss and learn new strategies to interact with the community whilst supporting them and giving them best knowledge about Research. Main topics that were presented are MDR TB, TB and Pregnancy, TB Prevention, HIV awareness and HIV Malignancies. It was discussed that; More education is needed in communities, support for DR TB patients or survivors, Other forms of cancer might have similar symptoms to TB and HIV patients need to take ARVs to prevent other opportunist diseases. Chemo therapy depends on the stage of cancer it also has side affects. Main speakers: Dr Kyla Task Applied Science, Dr Liani CRAG, Dr Samantha and Lynne Kid CRU. 4 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
Community Interaction day. Stellenbosch Students held their third year Sport Science Community Interaction Day on Saturday the 15th of October at Stellenbosch University. The Day was a tremendous success, and the children left us feeling very happy (and exhausted!) They said. The Donation made was used to buy a lovely lunch of hotdogs, fruit juice, and nutritious snacks for the children and to purchase sporting equipment, which will be presented to the school before the year has ended. 5 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
The Director s Corner About Ups and Downs and the Bigger Picture I have recently been able to look at figures about the rollout of the new TB drug bedaquiline in the last 2 years. It is very clear that receiving bedaquiline massively improves the chances of patients with drug resistant TB to survive. Most of you will know that this drug was with us for the last 10 years. The TASK team was first to treat a patient with bedaquiline in 2005. We were also the first to use it in drug-resistant TB, and TASK had the most patients on the studies that allowed the drug to be registered and then rolled out to the people. Many of you also know that this was not always an easy ride. There were many delays and challenges for us to find space and patients for the studies. A very long time without new TB drugs had created a climate of helplessness facing increasing TB drug resistance. There were no funds, no sites, no laboratories, no experienced staff and no belief that research could turn things around. On the picture on the right, some will see a painter that is going up and down his ladder. It is not a very good picture, yet it is a great picture. This painter is painting a wall in the XDR ward at Brooklyn Chest Hospital where the most resistant TB patients used to stay without hope of cure. With bedaquiline so many could be discharged that the ward is now empty and can be painted. What does this have to do with TASK? Very few realise that without TASK this new drug would not be available today and the ward would still be full of patients without hope. To most people this painter looks just like a painter. For me, he is the symbol of a great goal achieved. And while this goal is important it is perhaps even more important to look back and see the distance that we have travelled with its ups and downs, fears and failures, and that it is important to never give up hope and keep trying. Andreas Diacon 6 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
Meet the Team! Meet Aluta Nqipha Position: Clinical Administrator How long have you been with TASK? I have been with TASK for about 2 years now and I have learnt so much thus far, especially about Research and its importance. How important do you think it is to create TB awareness? I think it is everybody s job to make people aware of TB, especially to stand against the stigma surrounding TB. If we work together and support each other regardless of whether one is infected or not we can win the fight against the TB stigma. Tell us more about yourself. I love working with people and I am always eager to learn new things so that I can teach others as well. What do you like doing when you are not working? I love spending time with my kids and my friends. Any hidden talents? I play netball Knowledge is power Favorite quote Knowledge is Power! 7 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
TASK Welcomes new Personnel Michelle Eriksson Site Coordinator BCH Dr Nikita White Doctor BCH Yongama Ngwenduma Database Programmer TASK Central Elizabeth Jonker Study Nurse Coordinator M2 8 lorem ipsum :: [Date]
2016 Year-End Function More photos on our facebook page and website. Connect with us on: TASK Applied Science Task Applied TASK Communications TASK Applied Science For Press: Communications Officer M2 Building, Karl Bremer Hospital Tel: 021 949 7751 Email: communication@task.org.za