HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Programs Begini n Kafanchan, Kwoi, and Ogoja

Something wonderful is happening in Nigeria...below is an extract from their webpage...

In May, General Hospital Kafanchan opened the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment clinic in southern Kaduna. The ICAP-supported clinic provides a range of services, including life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART), counseling and testing, and psychosocial support.

Columbia University’sInternational Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs(ICAP), in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has begun supporting 21 healthcare sites in Nigeria. The program was announced in recent meetings between ICAP officials and government, community, and religious leaders. With the goal of improving HIV care and treatment access for vulnerable groups, particularly women and
children, ICAP will support the establishment of three main care and treatment centers in a network with 18 peripheral referral sites in two high HIV prevalence states, at Kafanchan in Kaduna State and Ogoja in Cross River State. Initial activities will focus on the recruitment of pregnant mothers in care and treatment programs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) of HIV. ICAP will work with health professionals in identified facilities to promote HIV testing of the general population, including women at all stages of pregnancy; develop mechanisms for assessment of HIV disease stages in HIV-infected pregnant women; initiate partner testing; provide HIV-infected pregnant women with HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition ICAP is supporting enhanced pediatric care and treatment activities, including wider use of cotrimoxazole for the prevention of an
AIDS-related pneumonia among HIVexposed infants and children, and
management of opportunistic infections. Other initiatives include palliative care, such as home-based care, greater support for orphans and vulnerable children, and promotion of best practices for infant feeding among HIV-infected women and the general population. Complementing its support for healthcare facilities, ICAP will work with communities to mitigate the effects of HIV on families in Nigeria. ICAP also is supporting the renovation of laboratories, including the procurement of new laboratory equipment, and infrastructure improvements.

http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/icap/wherewework/nigeria/ICAP-Nigeria%20News%20summer06.pdf