Uganda
The East African country of Uganda, with a population of 24.7 million, has an HIV seroprevalence rate of 6.7 percent. An estimated 850,000 people are HIV-infected. AIDS also has orphaned an estimated one million Ugandan children.
In 2003, ICAP’s MTCT-Plus Initiative began supporting family-focused, multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs at St. Francis and Mulago Hospitals in Uganda. ICAP-supported programs at these facilities focus on identifying HIV-infected women through prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programs and enrolling them into care and treatment, including antiretroviral therapy. ICAP also supports:
- HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment, including provision of antiretroviral therapy;
- Integrated tuberculosis/HIV care and treatment;
- Rapid HIV testing for adults and children;
- Diagnostic testing/analysis, including Dried Blood Spot DNA PCR testing for infants;
- Training programs for all cadres of healthcare providers of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment;
- Community outreach;
- HIV support groups, including medication and treatment adherence;
- Peer education programs;
- Social services/social support;
- Nutrition support;
- Referral services;
- Home-based/community-based visits;
- Development and implementation of patient-information systems;
- Pharmacy services;
- Laboratory support;
- Targeted evaluations.