[pronut-hiv] Nutrition of PLWHA

["Dr. Robert Mwadime" <rmwadime@rcqhc.org>]

Why nutrition and HIV not considered as an emergency?
Robert Mwadime, Uganda
?-----------------------------------------


I have kept wondering why the issues of nutrition and HIV are not 
considered as "EMERGENCY", in the real sense of the word. Here in Uganda, when we mobilized people to an emergency we went the way of "DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR PEOPLE WITH ALL MEANS/RESOURCES AVAILABLE"--available both in 
the country and from outside. But I see many of us still pushing nutrition 
and HIV only from the "development" perspective: i.e. from the food 
perspective and not from the perspective of "management of the situation". 
I agree the food approach will always remain superior (in terms of 
acceptability and sustainability), but with the elevated malabsorption 
problems and the low bioavailability of nutrients, the "best" health option 
in this "emergency", unfortunately remains to be supplements (shipped from 
outside).

The question is "which supplements"?

Robert Mwadime (PhD, MPH, MSc)
RCQHC, Uganda
__________________________________________________________

Stacia Nordin wrote:
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.

Stacia Nordin, RD

--
ProNut-HIV is a collaboration between SATELLIFE and the Academy for
Educational Development (AED).

To send a message to ProNut-HIV, write to: pronut-hiv@usa.healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe pronut-hiv OR unsubscribe
pronut-hiv
To contact a person, send a message to: pronut-hiv-help@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.pronutrition.org