Global attention is riveted on the HIV/AIDS crisis, and rightly so. The most threatening epidemic of modern times claimed 3.1 million lives in 2005 alone, and some 4.9 million people were newly infected. Most tragic of all is that HIV infects the most innocent of innocent: 15-30 percent of all HIV-infected pregnant women will transmit the virus to their newborn babies at or soon after delivery.
The last decade has witnessed significant progress in drug treatment against HIV in developed nations. But the truth remains that 95 percent of all people with HIV live in the developing world. This proportion is anticipated to grow even greater as infection rates continue to rise where poverty, meager health care and limited resources for prevention and care fuel the spread of the virus.
Managing HIV in resource-deficient nations presents special challenges, including cultural barriers and limited drug supplies. In light of this fact, INMED is now developing a focused International HIV Medicine Certificate. This new training program builds upon the current INMED International Medicine Certificate in International Medicine, and will be available to health professionals and students.
The International HIV Medicine Certificate will consist of two main components: an on-line course and 1-2 months of clinical instruction in a developing nation. The course will provide the essential didactic information for HIV prevention and management, with an emphasis on prevention of transmission. Clinical instruction will be provided by American physicians and nurses at several INMED training sites in Africa and Asia.
HIV Intervention will be the theme of next year’s INMED Exploring Medical Missions Conference, to be held May 11-12, 2007 on the main campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). On Friday night, May 11, INMED will host a Fight HIV Benefit Night to support this new Diploma program.