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From:	Adeyemo Gabriel [ profile ]
Subject:	Mobiles to be used to prevent spread of HIV
Sent:	Feb 5th, 2011 - 08:42:08

	Source:* Irish Times* AUTHOR: Michelle McDonagh http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/0201/1224288678834.html Fellow Advocate, Novel mobile communications technology developed by researchers in Galway will be used to help prevent the transmission of HIV from pregnant mothers in Africa to their children. Hewlett Packard (HP) Ireland has announced a new collaboration with South African-based NGO mothers2mothers (m2m), which counsels more than a million women in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa each year. The new technology developed by a team at HP in Galway will convert the current paper-based patient records system into a digital format that enables easy sharing of information across the m2m network of more than 700 sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Paul Ellingstad, HP director of Global Social Innovation, explained that m2m employs local mothers living with HIV to mentor HIV-positive pregnant and new mothers in health facilities. They work side by side with doctors and nurses, supporting and educating women about how to take their medicines and care for themselves and their babies. "There are more than 1.3 million pregnant women living with HIV in Africa. Without any interventions, 40 per cent of those women will have HIV-positive babies. The m2m mentor mothers are given mobile phones or tablet PCs which they can use to download information on training and health in real time and to upload information about the women they are seeing, connecting all of these sites like never before," he said. Mother-to-child HIV transmission rates remain high in Africa in part due to the challenge of ensuring mothers adhere to medical treatment. Please click on the link above to read the whole article. -- Many Thanks Yours' in Prevention Science Adeyemo Damilare Gabriel Moderator: Students' for Microbicides (S4M), Nigeria Regional Focal Point - West Africa Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AID +234-80-6798-7317 \| gabriel (at) gyca.org www.gyca.org \| www.tigweb.org GYCA is a youth-led global network of more than 4,500 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 150 countries world-wide. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst their peers.

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