Prevention, Care and Treatment

Exchange

Read the September 2008 issue of the MHRP PEPFAR newsletter, the Exchange.

Impact

The positive impact of this program for HIV-infected individuals is profound in all four countries MHRP has supported since 2004:

  • 58,000 patients have been enrolled on anti-retroviral therapy (ART)
  • 900,000 have received voluntary counseling and testing, and received their results
  • 301,800 have been helped through prevention of mother to child transmission efforts

These programs are available to patients whether or not they decide to participate in a research study.

Working under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) since 2004, MHRP has developed comprehensive prevention, care and treatment programs in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

These programs expand beyond research and are a critical complement to the vaccine research activities in these countries. We have developed a model for a Continuum of Care for Africa.

In order to execute an ethical, sustainable and non-coercive research program in resource-limited environments, there must be a link between care and treatment and HIV vaccine research, providing powerful synergy between research and clinical programs.

Services include:

These activities develop and strengthen existing VCT and PMTCT programs, build needed hospital infrastructure, equip clinical laboratories and train local clinical, medical and laboratory personnel. Efforts also support community education and outreach activities, strengthening the capacity of local organizations that provide supportive services and home-based palliative care to orphans and people infected and affected by HIV.

With PEPFAR funding, we are expanding our network of providers to include other research institutes, healthcare facilities, militaries and community-based organizations.

The program has had a direct impact in communities that are affected by the devastation of HIV/AIDS. Members of the communities are now more active and healthy, and the communities thrive as a result.

Future Plans

By the end of the initial five-year project, we plan to treat infected individuals qualifying for treatment in the South Rift Valley of Kenya, the Kenyan Department of Defense, the Kayunga District in Uganda, the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, the Tanzanian Peoples Defense Forces and the Nigerian Armed Forces.

By the nature of its design and extensive local collaborations, this program not only provides treatment for these individuals during the course of the Emergency Plan, but also helps develop a sustainable capacity among the health care facilities and local partners to serve long term community needs. By focusing on partner requirements and goals and working with the staff and communities directly, it is our hope that all four sites will continue to offer and expand this care.

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
For more information on this initiative, including monthly newsletters, visit www.pepfar.gov.

MHRP International Network:
Nigeria | Kenya | Tanzania | Uganda | Thailand