[pronut-hiv] Multivamin for the care of the mothers of HIV infants and children

["George M. Carter" <gmc0@ix.netcom.com>]

Multivamin for the care of the mothers of HIV
  infants and children
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Stacia Nordin wrote:
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I disagree with George's approach of shipping in outside vitamins.  The most
sustainable approach is to provide local vitamins which are generally
abundant in Africa - fruits and vegetables especially.  This approach can
last forever, whereas the approach of getting someone else to send them to
you is very temporary.  The fruits and vegetable could even be dried locally
and powdered and marketed as a nutritional supplement or multivitamin 
powder for those who prefer.

George M. Carter's views
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Ah--I never suggested that vitamins be shipped in from outside of Africa. 
Lederle, for example, is a major pharm. company that makes a multi and is 
located in South Africa. There are others. I did a skills building session 
on this in English and French at the Intl AIDS Conference in 1998 in 
Geneva. So an update on the current situation needs to be undertaken--but 
multivitamins and/or B complex are relatively inexpensive and already 
available in Africa.

What is needed is the political will to do the distribution. The OMNI 
program showed that it can be done. Sustainability is a challenge all 
programs must face.

What you suggest is also a good idea. Food is the FIRST and most important source of nutrients. But there are ample data reflecting that the levels of micronutrients is usually inadequate to fully meet the requirements that HIV imposes.

George M. Carter
Director, FIAR
http://aidsinfonyc.org/fiar 


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