Program Update: Accomplishments

1. In November, 2005, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Botswana (UB) signed a memorandum of agreement for BCM to provide technical expertise and academic support as the University of Botswana builds its first medical school. The agreement was profiled in Baylor College of Medicine's Solutions Magazine. Read more

2. The Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence was opened and officially dedicated by His Excellency Mr. Festus Mogae, President of the Republic of Botswana, on June 20, 2003. This new facility, the first of its kind on the African continent, provides state-of-the-art care and treatment to over 1,200 HIV-infected children and 80 families from Gaborone and across Botswana.

3. With generous funding provided by AIDS Foundation Houston, in January, 2005 BIPAI sponsored camp experiences for approximately 60 children who receive care at the Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence. The camp, called Boitumelo mo Nageng ("joy in the wilderness") was held in the Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Boitumelo mo Nageng operates this camp annually for six consecutive weeks, but this was the first time a week was reserved specifically for children infected with HIV/AIDS.

4. The KITSO training program was formally announced in Botswana in May, 2004. KITSO was developed with technical assistance from several organizations working in partnership, including the contributions of Baylor College of Medicine personnel based in Botswana. The plan will ensure comprehensive, standardized and coordinated HIV/AIDS training, and will bring all HIV/AIDS-focused trainings under the direction of the Botswana Ministry of Health. Baylor is assisting with the implementation of the KITSO program by conducting Advanced Pediatric HIV/AIDS Training at the ARV rollout sites across Botswana. This activity is made possible by support from the BOTUSA Project (CDC-Botswana). KITSO training workshops have occurred in Gaborone and Francistown; several workshops are planned for 2005.

5. The Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence is involved with outreach projects in four communities outside of Gaborone. These are helping to document the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS, to decentralize quality care for HIV-infected children and to make such care more accessible to families who live outside the city.

6. The Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence staff are currently conducting the BANA II study, the largest pediatric HIV/AIDS clinical trial on the African continent. The study is evaluating whether structured treatment interruptions can contribute to better long-term treatment outcomes in HIV-infected children.

As part of a five-year Bristol-Myers Squibb initiative entitled "Secure the Future": Care and Support for Women and Children with HIV/AIDS," the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative is coordinating a nurse education and physician exchange program between five African countries and the U.S. The countries - Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland - are among the world's nations with the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS.

The Physician Exchange Program includes a two-month education and training program in the U.S. for Southern African physicians with a special interest in AIDS and responsibilities for the care of HIV-infected individuals. This program is conducted at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and affiliated institutions. The physician exchange program curriculum includes a formal series of lectures and case discussions pertaining to AIDS, as well as participation in AIDS outpatient and inpatient clinical activities. The focus of the program will be prevention and treatment of HIV infection among women and children.