"ZIKA: PIH's Haiti response" Dr. Joia Mukherjee, Partners In Health of Boston, Massachusetts, United States for Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Imagine if the Zika epidemic were here. What would you do about it?
There have been a handful of confirmed cases on American soil, but imagine if the outbreak were tearing through our hometowns as it is in Haiti, where we've already seen severe complications likely attributed to Zika—from birth defects to neurological symptoms.
Imagine not knowing if the disease could be contained. Imagine having a child born with a tiny head and underdeveloped brain—a potential effect of Zika. Imagine being so poor that you have no preventive health care for this terrible virus, and no way to care for a child with special needs.
We can stop the Zika virus, Gary. We can help families too poor, too marginalized, to afford essential care. Every dollar makes a difference.
It's important to us that you know how your contributions to PIH are making a difference, so let me share exactly how we're combating the Zika outbreak in Haiti:
Community Mobilization: More than 3,500 community health workers are helping vulnerable families in remote communities, educating them about Zika prevention and safety.
Maternal and newborn care: We're working to ensure that mothers get the prenatal care and support they need for safe delivery, and that any baby born with the effects of Zika is properly cared for.
Prevention supplies: Our staff are helping stop mother-to-child transmission by distributing DEET, bed nets, and more to the 32,000 pregnant women who visit our clinics every year.
Care for the sick: We're providing critical care for those who have developed complications after a Zika infection—including painful Guillain-Barré syndrome—and establishing a case registry to ensure continuing aid.
Staff safety: Our staff are drawn from the communities they serve—and it's our duty to keep them safe. We're ensuring every clinic has the screens, insecticides, evaluation procedures, and fumigation to keep dangerous mosquitoes at bay.
Research: Right now, not enough is known about the Zika virus. Our doctors and staff are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations to collect front-line data so we can beat this disease as soon as possible.These efforts are encouraging, Gary, but we have to remember that for many of these families, Zika is just the beginning of their troubles. Poverty, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, cholera, pregnancy complications, and injury are still—needlessly—claiming lives.
Partners In Health fights every day, every hour, to deliver care to those who need it most. But none of our work would be possible without your support.
Please, contribute $25 or more today to help us fight for those who need us:
http://act.pih.org/if-zika-were-here
Thank you,
Joia Mukherjee
Chief Medical Officer
Infectious Disease Specialist
** Keeping the doors open and the lights on **
Our doctors and staff are working every day to bring quality care to the world's poorest places—but they can only do their work because of grassroots donors like you.
Help deliver more essential care. Contribute today >>
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"If Zika were here" Dr. Joia Mukherjee, Partners In Health of Boston, Massachusetts, United States for Sunday, 13 March 2016Imagine if the Zika epidemic were here. What would you do about it?
There have been a handful of confirmed cases in America, but imagine if the disease were tearing through our hometowns.
Imagine knowing a mother whose child was born with a poorly developed brain. (By some accounts, up to 30 percent of babies born to mothers who had Zika during pregnancy may have microcephaly.)
Imagine not knowing if the disease would stop spreading.
Imagine being so poor that you can't afford mosquito repellent, let alone the costs of caring for a child with a birth defect.
For people in Haiti, Mexico, and elsewhere, these terrible fears are a reality. But it doesn't have to be this way.
We can stop the Zika virus, Gary. We can help families too poor, too marginalized, to afford essential care. Every penny helps save lives.
It's important to us that you know how your contributions to PIH are making a difference, so let me share exactly how we're combating the Zika outbreak in Haiti:
- Community Mobilization: More than 3,500 community health workers are helping vulnerable families in remote communities, educating them about Zika prevention and safety.
- Maternal and newborn care: We're working to ensure that mothers get the prenatal care and support they need for safe delivery, and that any baby born with the effects of Zika is properly cared for.
- Prevention supplies: Our staff are helping stop mother-to-child transmission by distributing DEET, bed nets, and more to the 32,000 pregnant women who visit our clinics every year.
- Care for the sick: We're providing critical care for those who have developed complications after a Zika infection—including painful Guillain-Barré syndrome—and establishing a case registry to ensure continuing aid.
- Staff safety: Our staff are drawn from the communities they serve—and it's our duty to keep them safe. We're ensuring every clinic has the screens, insecticides, evaluation procedures, and fumigation to keep dangerous mosquitoes at bay.
- Research: Right now, not enough is known about the Zika virus. Our doctors and staff are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations to collect front-line data so we can beat this disease as soon as possible.
Partners In Health fights every day, every hour, to deliver care to those who need it most. But none of our work would be possible without your support.
Please, chip in $25 or more today to help us fight for those who need us:
http://act.pih.org/if-zika-were-here
Thank you,
Joia Mukherjee
Chief Medical Officer
Infectious Disease Specialist
** Keeping the doors open and the lights on **
Our doctors and staff are working every day to bring quality care to the world's poorest places—but they can only do their work because of grassroots donors like you.
Help deliver more essential care. Chip in today >>
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"Irina's story" PIH.org of Boston, Massachusetts, United States for Thursday, 3 March 2016
Irina Ivanova lives in the remote city of Tomsk, Siberia, where HIV is raging but care runs scarce.
Two years ago, the young woman was pregnant, homeless, and HIV-positive. Unconvinced that any treatment could help, Irina abandoned care at a local AIDS center, where she was receiving medication to preserve her child's—and her own—health.
We heard her story, then spent three weeks searching for her. Eventually, we found Irina at a local rehab center, battling addiction and despair. She thought nothing could help.
A social worker implored Irina to accept HIV treatment, for her baby and herself. It wasn't easy to earn her trust—but the social worker persisted, and eventually, Irina changed her mind. For the first time, her treatment became regular.
Today, Irina's HIV remains under control. Her baby girl, Milana, is healthy and HIV-negative.
Read more about Irina's story now—and learn more about how we're working to fight the HIV epidemic sweeping Russia today.
"Irina's story" PIH.org of Boston, Massachusetts, United States for Thursday, 3 March 2016Irina Ivanova lives in the remote city of Tomsk, Siberia, where HIV is raging but care runs scarce.
Two years ago, the young woman was pregnant, homeless, and HIV-positive. Unconvinced that any treatment could help, Irina abandoned care at a local AIDS center, where she was receiving medication to preserve her child's—and her own—health.
We heard her story, then spent three weeks searching for her. Eventually, we found Irina at a local rehab center, battling addiction and despair. She thought nothing could help.
A social worker implored Irina to accept HIV treatment, for her baby and herself. It wasn't easy to earn her trust—but the social worker persisted, and eventually, Irina changed her mind. For the first time, her treatment became regular.
Today, Irina's HIV remains under control. Her baby girl, Milana, is healthy and HIV-negative.
Read more about Irina's story now—and learn more about how we're working to fight the HIV epidemic sweeping Russia today.
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Protecting Newborns against HIV in Russia
Photo by Elena Devyashina for Partners In HealthNurse Natalya Shtrevenskaya gives Irina Ivanova’s daughter, Milana, antiretroviral medicine in their home in Tomsk, Russia.
Irina Ivanova* approached the Partners In Health van parked outside her home. It was a fall morning in August, and Nurse Natalya Shtrevenskaya and Driver Sergey Zyuskov were there to give Ivanova, who was nine months pregnant and HIV-positive, her daily medication.
Twenty-five-year-old Ivanova held out a bag full of antiretroviral drugs—which were unused. Shtrevenskaya and Zyuskov looked at each other. This wasn’t a good sign. Ivanova should have been taking the drugs throughout her pregnancy. The chance of her baby being born without HIV was suddenly very slim.
Ivanova is part of a growing group of women in Tomsk, a region of southwestern Siberia, who are at risk of passing HIV to their babies. In fact, six of every 1,000 pregnant women are now HIV positive—a drastic jump from 2013, when the rate was less than 1 in every 1,000.
If pregnant mothers take antiretroviral medicine, there’s a strong chance—almost 100 percent—they won’t transmit the virus to their babies. But many of these women, some of whom are poor or who may not know their HIV status, don’t receive even basic health care so treatment isn’t an option.
The increasing number of HIV-positive pregnant women are part of a much bigger crisis—an epidemic—in Russia: Officials registered the one millionth case of HIV in January. But Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the Federal AIDS Center in Moscow, estimates that the actual number of people infected with HIV in Russia is more likely to be 1.5 million. He says 200 new infections occur every day.
Some blame the rise on the government’s conservative approach to tackling AIDS. Prevention programs that have proven successful globally—such as clean needle provision, sex education, and substitute drug therapy—are virtually non-existent in Russia.
Tomsk, a city with a population of half a million, is not immune. There are around 4,500 people living with HIV/AIDS. Between 2012 and 2013, the number of people newly infected jumped by almost 500 percent from 338 to 2020, on par with the rising national prevalence rate.
In June 2013, Ivanova was at the center of this epidemic. Single, unemployed, and addicted to heroin, she got infected using unclean needles. She became pregnant in late 2014 and soon after was homeless, staying with friends, and barely keeping up with antiretroviral therapy she received from the Tomsk Anti-AIDS Center. The center soon lost track of her. After many missed doses, she stopped taking medication, convinced it wouldn’t help her or her baby.
PIH staff had heard about her difficulties through the center, a close partner of ours. It took three weeks to find her. After asking friends and family, Oksana Kustova, a social worker, found her at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts. She convinced Ivanova to enroll in a new PIH program that would help keep her from transmitting the disease to her baby.
PIH staff visited Ivanova every morning with food and medication. For the first time in her pregnancy, Ivanova’s treatment became regular. She wasn’t used to the attention.
“She was very shy and reserved,” says Alexandra Solovyeva, the project coordinator.
“I didn’t believe that nurses would come and visit me every day,” Ivanova remembers. “It seemed unrealistic. I couldn’t believe that someone cared about me and my baby.”
Only a week later, Ivanova presented the bag of unused medicine. There was nothing the team could do about her missed doses, but it was essential to continue treatment and ensure the baby was born safely.
On August 13, Ivanova gave birth to Milana, a girl, who was immediately put on antiretroviral medicine. Staff continued to visit Ivanova, this time to help her feed Milana the medication twice a day. The baby’s first HIV test a few days after birth was negative.
Ivanova couldn’t believe it. “She kept asking about the test result the following couple of days,” says Solovyeva.
For six weeks after Milana’s birth, PIH staff visited to administer her medication and bring diapers, formula, and food to help Ivanova cope as a young mother. The baby’s third and final HIV test was negative. Ivanova’s daughter, the program’s first baby, is free of the disease.
Milana is now five months old. We continue to enroll pregnant mothers living with HIV and have treated 15 women since July 2015. All 14 babies born so far are healthy and HIV-free.
Ivanova hasn’t used drugs since she was pregnant. PIH staff are helping her register at an employment agency and find a job. In the meantime, she attends support groups where she shares her experience with other pregnant women living with HIV.
“Milana needs me,” she says, “and I live for her sake.”
DONATE TO PARTNERS IN HEALTH
*Name has been changed.
Protecting Newborns against HIV in Russia
Photo by Elena Devyashina for Partners In HealthNurse Natalya Shtrevenskaya gives Irina Ivanova’s daughter, Milana, antiretroviral medicine in their home in Tomsk, Russia.
Irina Ivanova* approached the Partners In Health van parked outside her home. It was a fall morning in August, and Nurse Natalya Shtrevenskaya and Driver Sergey Zyuskov were there to give Ivanova, who was nine months pregnant and HIV-positive, her daily medication.
Twenty-five-year-old Ivanova held out a bag full of antiretroviral drugs—which were unused. Shtrevenskaya and Zyuskov looked at each other. This wasn’t a good sign. Ivanova should have been taking the drugs throughout her pregnancy. The chance of her baby being born without HIV was suddenly very slim.
Ivanova is part of a growing group of women in Tomsk, a region of southwestern Siberia, who are at risk of passing HIV to their babies. In fact, six of every 1,000 pregnant women are now HIV positive—a drastic jump from 2013, when the rate was less than 1 in every 1,000.
If pregnant mothers take antiretroviral medicine, there’s a strong chance—almost 100 percent—they won’t transmit the virus to their babies. But many of these women, some of whom are poor or who may not know their HIV status, don’t receive even basic health care so treatment isn’t an option.
The increasing number of HIV-positive pregnant women are part of a much bigger crisis—an epidemic—in Russia: Officials registered the one millionth case of HIV in January. But Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the Federal AIDS Center in Moscow, estimates that the actual number of people infected with HIV in Russia is more likely to be 1.5 million. He says 200 new infections occur every day.
Some blame the rise on the government’s conservative approach to tackling AIDS. Prevention programs that have proven successful globally—such as clean needle provision, sex education, and substitute drug therapy—are virtually non-existent in Russia.
Tomsk, a city with a population of half a million, is not immune. There are around 4,500 people living with HIV/AIDS. Between 2012 and 2013, the number of people newly infected jumped by almost 500 percent from 338 to 2020, on par with the rising national prevalence rate.
In June 2013, Ivanova was at the center of this epidemic. Single, unemployed, and addicted to heroin, she got infected using unclean needles. She became pregnant in late 2014 and soon after was homeless, staying with friends, and barely keeping up with antiretroviral therapy she received from the Tomsk Anti-AIDS Center. The center soon lost track of her. After many missed doses, she stopped taking medication, convinced it wouldn’t help her or her baby.
PIH staff had heard about her difficulties through the center, a close partner of ours. It took three weeks to find her. After asking friends and family, Oksana Kustova, a social worker, found her at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts. She convinced Ivanova to enroll in a new PIH program that would help keep her from transmitting the disease to her baby.
PIH staff visited Ivanova every morning with food and medication. For the first time in her pregnancy, Ivanova’s treatment became regular. She wasn’t used to the attention.
“She was very shy and reserved,” says Alexandra Solovyeva, the project coordinator.
“I didn’t believe that nurses would come and visit me every day,” Ivanova remembers. “It seemed unrealistic. I couldn’t believe that someone cared about me and my baby.”
Only a week later, Ivanova presented the bag of unused medicine. There was nothing the team could do about her missed doses, but it was essential to continue treatment and ensure the baby was born safely.
On August 13, Ivanova gave birth to Milana, a girl, who was immediately put on antiretroviral medicine. Staff continued to visit Ivanova, this time to help her feed Milana the medication twice a day. The baby’s first HIV test a few days after birth was negative.
Ivanova couldn’t believe it. “She kept asking about the test result the following couple of days,” says Solovyeva.
For six weeks after Milana’s birth, PIH staff visited to administer her medication and bring diapers, formula, and food to help Ivanova cope as a young mother. The baby’s third and final HIV test was negative. Ivanova’s daughter, the program’s first baby, is free of the disease.
Milana is now five months old. We continue to enroll pregnant mothers living with HIV and have treated 15 women since July 2015. All 14 babies born so far are healthy and HIV-free.
Ivanova hasn’t used drugs since she was pregnant. PIH staff are helping her register at an employment agency and find a job. In the meantime, she attends support groups where she shares her experience with other pregnant women living with HIV.
“Milana needs me,” she says, “and I live for her sake.”
DONATE TO PARTNERS IN HEALTH
*Name has been changed.
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When Irina's daughter was born, we immediately started her treatment to prevent the disease. Today, Milana is 6 months old and continues to thrive.
But across Russia, Irina's story is still an exception. HIV is soaring, affecting more than 1 million people. Today the number of pregnant women with HIV is about SIX times higherthan it was just three years ago.
We've identified and enrolled 15 pregnant women in HIV treatment since July. Of the 14 babies born so far, all are healthy. But this is just the beginning.
Take a minute to learn about how we're undertaking this vital work:
http://act.pih.org/irinas-story
Thank you so much for your support.
Partners In Health
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"When I first met Eunice Newa" Ophelia Dahl, Partners In Health of Boston, Massachusetts, United States for Wednesday, 2 March 2016
When I met Eunice Newa, she was 12 years old—and fighting a severe fever. She could barely sit up in her hospital bed.
Her mother brought her to the PIH-supported hospital in Neno, Malawi, where she was diagnosed with malaria. After two days of urgent treatment, Eunice could sit up, smile, and even draw.
Eunice received high-quality health care that saved her life. But when I think of Eunice and her mother, I can't help but consider the roughly 300,000 young children killed every year by malaria—and the health care that could have saved them.
Would you consider a gift of $15 to care for more children suffering from malaria in the world's poorest communities?
We know how to prevent and treat malaria—just as we know how to prevent and treat other leading causes of death among children, including diarrhea and respiratory diseases.
These diseases rarely kill children in countries with strong health systems. Instead, they're diseases of poverty—plaguing poor, remote communities where treatment is scarce.
Millions of children die every year from preventable, treatable diseases like these.
Please give today—and help every child receive the health care we'd want for our own families.
http://act.pih.org/fight-malaria
With gratitude for your support,
Ophelia
Ophelia Dahl
Co-Founder and Chair of the Board
Partners In Health
But across Russia, Irina's story is still an exception. HIV is soaring, affecting more than 1 million people. Today the number of pregnant women with HIV is about SIX times higherthan it was just three years ago.
We've identified and enrolled 15 pregnant women in HIV treatment since July. Of the 14 babies born so far, all are healthy. But this is just the beginning.
Take a minute to learn about how we're undertaking this vital work:
http://act.pih.org/irinas-story
Thank you so much for your support.
Partners In Health
---------------------
"When I first met Eunice Newa" Ophelia Dahl, Partners In Health of Boston, Massachusetts, United States for Wednesday, 2 March 2016When I met Eunice Newa, she was 12 years old—and fighting a severe fever. She could barely sit up in her hospital bed.
Her mother brought her to the PIH-supported hospital in Neno, Malawi, where she was diagnosed with malaria. After two days of urgent treatment, Eunice could sit up, smile, and even draw.
Eunice received high-quality health care that saved her life. But when I think of Eunice and her mother, I can't help but consider the roughly 300,000 young children killed every year by malaria—and the health care that could have saved them.
Would you consider a gift of $15 to care for more children suffering from malaria in the world's poorest communities?
We know how to prevent and treat malaria—just as we know how to prevent and treat other leading causes of death among children, including diarrhea and respiratory diseases.
These diseases rarely kill children in countries with strong health systems. Instead, they're diseases of poverty—plaguing poor, remote communities where treatment is scarce.
Millions of children die every year from preventable, treatable diseases like these.
Please give today—and help every child receive the health care we'd want for our own families.
http://act.pih.org/fight-malaria
With gratitude for your support,
Ophelia
Ophelia Dahl
Co-Founder and Chair of the Board
Partners In Health
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Partners In Health
888 Commonwealth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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Partners In Health
888 Commonwealth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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