HIV

Since 2004, the Institute has established and rapidly increased access to HIV care and treatment services to adults living with HIV across the country. To ensure that quality care and treatment is provided to clients in health facilities supported by the Institute, we have implemented evidence-based strategies such as;

• Differentiated Model of Care

We have adopted the Community ART Group, Community Pharmacy Initiative and Community Treatment Initiative to reduce the load of care on health facilities and channel resources to those most in need. Through these patient-centered approaches, stable clients receive ART medications in the community through; home delivery by a health care provider; a peer designated by a group to pick medications from the facility; registered community pharmacies.

These strategies have improved client retention in treatment and adherence to medication. It has reduced overcrowding in health facilities, allowed for personalized care, and eased client transportation cost and reduced stigma.

• Real-Time Documentation of Health Records

We have implemented and are scaling up real-time, point-of-care documentation of health records of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in supported health facilities. So far, this has been launched in about ten facilities in FCT and Nasarawa States. This has led to greater efficiency in handling client information, reduced errors in documentation and prescription given to clients, and reduced client waiting time in health facilities. It has also eliminated paper documentation and promoted data quality and integrity.

Other strategies include task shifting and test and start, where clients who test positive for HIV are immediately linked to health facilities to commence treatment.

For more information; PCT Overview and http://www.ihvnigeria.org/strategic-information-department/health-informatics-unit/

Children form a core of the HIV prevention care and treatment services we provide. These services include,

• Early Infant Diagnostic testing for HIV exposed babies
• HIV testing for children at facility-based child welfare points
• ARV treatment and care for children living with HIV. Cumulatively (from 2004 till date), 62,919 children have been provided with HIV treatment services.
• Health and nutritional support:

We initiated and produced, a cereal based supplement made from maize, soya beans and groundnuts. It is simple to prepare and meets immediate nutritional needs of malnourished people living with HIV, including children. ACTION Meal for children has carbohydrate, protein, fat, crude fiber, sodium, vitamin B1 and vitamin B2.

Parents are also given guidance on appropriate feeding required for healthy and strong babies through health care providers trained by the Institute.

• Economic strengthening activities for households of orphans and vulnerable children:

We strengthen the resilience of households of orphans and vulnerable children to access finances and invest in the education, nutrition and health of the children. Supporting vulnerable households is not just a strategy to prevent new HIV infections, it also keeps children healthy, stable, safe and schooled.

Caregivers are given non-refundable Household Economic Strengthening (HES) grants to equip themselves with a skill and utilize these skills to provide for their households. We also work with community-based organizations to provide financial and business management training with guidance on savings etc. for caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children.

One of the projects IHVN has implemented is a water quality intervention. The Safe Water System intervention provided people living with HIV with a product called Safe Guard to disinfect water. People living with HIV were also given a safe storage container with narrow mouth and lid to store water fit for drinking.

http://www.ihvnigeria.org/pediatric-art/, http://www.ihvnigeria.org/orphans-and-vulnerable-children/

The Institute supports optimum care and treatment services for adolescents transitioning from pediatric treatment to adult treatment. Some strategies implemented include,

• Use of peers to engage with fellow peers in the community and encourage adherence to treatment, and retention in the HIV program.
• Training of adolescent caregivers, peer mentors and healthcare workers to deliver adolescent friendly services.
• Adolescent Support Groups and Caregiver Forums: Through support groups, adolescents meet with their peers, share experiences and learn about self-care, their health, life skills, and gain psycho-social support. Through care giver fora, adolescent care givers are equipped with knowledge about disclosure, adherence and skills acquisition.

Other strategies include; rescheduling of clinic days in line with the school calendar, sexual and reproductive health education, ensuring that pregnant adolescents and young women have access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission services.

For more information on adolescent services, go to, http://www.ihvnigeria.org/adolescent-services/

Our goal is to ensure that every woman living with HIV has a HIV free child.

Through our program, 131,389 women living with HIV have received support from pregnancy to delivery of HIV free babies, and care for their young ones.

The services we provide are;

• HIV counseling and testing
• Partner counseling
• ARV prophylaxis for mother and child
• Nutritional support services: we initiated and produced ACTION Meal, a nutritional food supplement made from maize, soya beans and groundnut, all readily available food items in Nigeria. It is a light brown powder and is prescribed to address nutritional deficiencies of people living with HIV. The proportion of maize, soya beans and groundnut per 100g of ACTION Meal is 60g, 30g and 10g respectively
• Peer support through a mentor mother program to assist women living with HIV through the journey of seeking treatment and care when pregnant, during delivery and in caring for their babies.

Maternal Neonatal Child Health