Malawi
- Brian is one of many children receiving medical care at the Abbott Fund–Baylor Children's Centre of Excellence–Malawi, through a comprehensive program. The clinic, which was made possible by a $2.2 million Abbott Fund grant, already treats more than 1,100 children.
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Treatment in Malawi
Treating children with AIDS in the developing world is an enormous challenge, particularly in Africa. Malawi is one of the countries hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with an estimated 83,000 children living with the disease (www.who.int). While children represent only six percent of the population currently receiving antiretroviral therapy through the country's national treatment program, they represent 15 percent of those in need.
In partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine and the Government of Malawi, we opened the Abbott Fund–Baylor Children's Centre of Excellence–Malawi, the country's first pediatric outpatient clinic dedicated to the care and treatment of children living with HIV. The clinic is already treating more than 1,100 children, and the program will be expanded to include satellite clinics throughout the country in 2007.
Construction of the new pediatric center, located in the capital city of Lilongwe, and support for clinic operational costs were made possible by a $2.2 million grant from The Abbott Fund. The center will be the focal point of a national plan to expand pediatric and family HIV/AIDS care and treatment throughout the country.
The center, led by Peter Kazembe, MD, a Malawian pediatrician, is staffed by a combination of local health care professionals and select Baylor staff. Baylor also is assisting the Malawi Ministry of Health in coordinating the government's pediatric treatment program through outreach and training at district hospitals.
The Malawi center is modeled after the pioneering work conducted by Baylor and The Abbott Fund at the Romanian-American Children's Center, which opened in April of 2001 in Constanta, Romania. In this model, children are not only provided antiretroviral medicine and other medical treatment, but are supported by a comprehensive program to address their other daily needs and the needs of their families. This program has reduced pediatric AIDS mortality by more than 90 percent in Constanta – the epicenter of pediatric HIV in Europe.
Directed by Baylor's Mark Kline, MD, the clinic model has rapidly expanded into Botswana, Uganda, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi and Burkina Faso. It is estimated that more than 12,000 children have been treated at these centers to date. Abbott and The Abbott Fund have provided a total of more than $16 million in grants and donated products to Baylor to support the treatment of children living with HIV in the developing world. For more information on the Abbott Fund–Baylor partnership, visit www.abbottglobalcare.org.
