Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
USIS Washington File - November 22, 2006
Now, early infant diagnostic technologies supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR) are available to babies at Mulago Hospital in Uganda. With the early infant diagnosis method, health care providers can diagnose infants with HIV as early as six weeks after birth.
Through a partnership between the postnatal clinic at the hospital and a PEPFAR partner organization, the clinic now identifies and tests infants when they are brought in for postnatal and routine immunization visits. Since the start of these early diagnosis services in August 2005, more than 2,000 infants have been screened for HIV.
For Kayondo Minsuseera and Nakwanyi Florence, parents of baby Catherine, early infant diagnosis brought them hope. From birth, Catherine had continually fallen ill with persistent high temperatures and convulsions. Her development was retarded, and at one year of age she weighed only 11 pounds. In February 2006, Catherine's parents were referred to Mulago's postnatal clinic.
Health workers at the clinic explained to Minsuseera and Florence the testing process and helped them feel comfortable. After testing, the clinic found Catherine and her parents to be HIV-positive.
With support from the emergency plan, Catherine and her family are now all receiving antiretroviral treatment and care services. Each day, the parents remind each other to take their pills.
"After a lot of counseling and preparation we agreed to be tested. We are a free family now," Minsuseera noted.
Mulago also provides the family with basic disease prevention assistance including insecticide-treated bed nets, a safe water system, and information about positive living strategies. In addition, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic at Mulago provides supplementary food to Catherine, helps cover the costs of transportation to her clinic appointments and provides ongoing family counseling. The family said this support has "helped us from being depressed and to escape our thoughts."
Catherine recently celebrated her second birthday. Today, she walks, runs, plays and speaks just like other children her age.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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