Providing treatment in Africa to people with AIDS in their homes is as effective as doing so in a clinic, according to a study published in the November 24 issue of The Lancet and reported by The New York Times. The study was conducted in rural Uganda.  

About 1,400 patients with advanced AIDS were divided into two groups—one had clinic care, the other had home visits. After one year, 11 percent of each group had died. However, 84 percent of the clinic group and 83 percent of the home group had their viral levels under control.  

According to the article, home-based care is a little less expensive for the government and much less so for people with AIDS because they do not incur transportation costs, which often result in many Africans dropping out of treatment.  

The findings are important because most of the millions more Africans who will need AIDS meds in the next few years live outside urban areas, far from clinics.