The Pediatric AIDS Corps: responding to the African HIV/AIDS health professional resource crisis.
Health professional capacity for delivery of HIV/AIDS care and treatment is severely constrained across sub-Saharan Africa. African health professional expertise in pediatrics is in particularly short supply. Here we describe a Pediatric AIDS Corps program that was designed to place pediatricians and other physicians in Africa on a long-term basis to expand existing health professional capacity for pediatric and family HIV/AIDS care and treatment. In the first 2 years of this program, 76 physicians were placed in 5 African countries that have been hit hard by HIV/AIDS. Enrollment of HIV-infected children in care more than quadrupled over a 24-month period, to 26 590. We believe that this pilot program can serve as a model for larger-scale efforts to immediately expand access for African children and families to life-saving HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
Kline
Mark W
MW
Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA. mkline@bcm.edu
Ferris
Margaret G
MG
Jones
David C
DC
Calles
Nancy R
NR
Mizwa
Michael B
MB
Schwarzwald
Heidi L
HL
Wanless
R Sebastian
RS
Schutze
Gordon E
GE
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000639:trends; D006295:Health Resources / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000639:trends; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000639:trends; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education* / Q000639:trends; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000639:trends; D010865:Pilot Projects