FDA approves the first rapid HIV test using blood drawn from a finger prick, and grants permission to use it outside the laboratory, promoting fast, widespread adoption.1
UNAIDS announces adult women now comprise roughly half of all global HIV/AIDS cases.2
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria begins disseminating grants.3
HRSA reports that each year CARE Act-funded medical and support services reach 533,000 people infected and affected by HIV, who rely on these resources for some or all of their needs.4
CARE ACT EXPERTISE USED TO FIGHT EPIDEMIC ABROAD
In 2002 HRSA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the International Training and Education Center on HIV, known as I-TECH. The goal for the Center was to capture lessons learned over two decades of administering 11 U.S.-based AIDS Education and Training Centers and to disseminate these learnings to organizations in the developing world.
I-TECH was designed to assist more than a dozen countries that were the hardest hit by the epidemic to establish self-sustaining health care worker training systems. While not a CARE Act program, it is a shining example of how high-level expertise acquired through CARE Act implementation has been used to further HIV/AIDS treatment efforts worldwide.
Some Products of I-TECH “Know How”
As part of its efforts in the Caribbean, I-TECH has created a series of 13 short video scenarios designed to be used during HIV/AIDS training for health workers at all levels. Scenarios are designed to prompt a discussion about common situations in Caribbean health care settings where HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination may occur and can be prevented.
I-TECH held a five-day physical exam training for University of Namibia nursing faculty from two university campuses that focused on building skills to teach physical examination of people with HIV/AIDS.
I-TECH produced a comprehensive guide for developing a clinical mentoring program in resource-constrained settings. The guide includes step-by-step instructions for starting and maintaining an effective clinical mentoring program, including tools for local modification and use, as well as related training resources like curricula and video segments.
I-TECH MENTORING PROGRAM PROVIDES HEALTH, HOPE
An I-TECH Mentor sent to South Africa in 2007 spent one month visiting clinics and hospitals with an Eastern Cape Regional Training Centre physician. At one hospital they noticed that both the tuberculosis (TB) and HIV patients were placed in the same ward regardless of whether the HIV patient was admitted for TB. The mentor then discussed with hospital staff the infection-control issues involved with placing HIV patients without symptoms of active TB with active TB patients. This raised staff understanding of the issues and led them to take steps to change the system.
