A breakthrough in tuberculosis prevention has emerged from two significant clinical trials. The Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University in South Africa revealed that the antibiotic levofloxacin, administered daily over six months to children, proved highly safe in preventing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in both children and adults.
With over half a million MDR-TB cases annually, which are challenging and costly to treat, researchers found a viable method to protect children living with adults afflicted by MDR-TB. In the TB-CHAMP trial, 453 exposed children received levofloxacin, and only five developed the disease. The V-QUIN trial showed a 45% risk reduction in MDR-TB for adults and adolescents taking levofloxacin.
“Groundbreaking Achievement: Ethiopian Artist Awes with a $10.7 Million Masterpiece”
Meanwhile, Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu achieved a groundbreaking $10.7 million sale for her painting, “Walkers With the Dawn and Morning.” This abstract piece, created in response to Hurricane Katrina’s impact on New Orleans in 2005, broke the record for the highest auction price for a work by an African-born artist. Initially sold for $9.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, the final cost, including fees, reached the record-breaking sum. Mehretu’s unique style, blending architectural drawing, vibrant vectors, and calligraphic sweeps, reflects the growing interest in contemporary African art. Born in Addis Ababa in 1970, Mehretu has become a prominent figure in the flourishing world of contemporary African art, recently chosen to create BMW’s next Art Car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.