Africa 08
Dr Litoff returned from his second service delegation visit to Africa. He traveled with a group of doctors and nurses to Rwanda and Uganda to learn first hand the impact of the HIV epidemic there and to support grassroots projects fighting disease there.
The HIV Epidemic in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected area in the world with 22.5 million people living with HIV. They account for 2/3 of the worlds infected people and for 76% of the deaths. Approximately 1.6 million people will have died there by the end of 2007.
These people are some of the poorest in the world making wages of about $1 per day which is often not enough to afford medications. The countries also have a shortage of health care workers which makes the job more difficult.
Rwanda
We traveled to the capital Kigali to meet with health care workers at the WE-ACTx clinics. We shadowed the doctors and nurses as they cared for patients with HIV. Most of the clients are women who contracted HIV during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and many are on ARVs. The clinics were started with the help of Chicago doctor Mardge Cohen in 2004. We met with her and brought donations to help the clinics. We also spent a Sunday with the children of the clients playing soccer and frisbee.
Uganda
In Uganda we visited the FDNC an NGO near the city of Mbale and met with and helped train it's community health workers. We also spent time with the Abayudaya a Jewish community in the same area. We worked along with Dr. Sampson Wamani in his clinic. We sponsored HIV rapid testing for 100 people and saw many patients in the clinic.