South Africa has been the epicenter of the HIV pandemic: 20 percent of all people living with HIV are in South Africa, and 20 percent of new HIV infections occur there too. South Africa also faces a crisis of tuberculosis (TB), including multi-drug resistant TB, which amplifies its HIV epidemic. 80% of my work in the infectious disease department will be HIV related, including an extremely high rate of comorbid TB infection. I will work in outreach with secondary and district hospitals providing speciality level TB care.
South African population of people living with HIV (commonly presenting presenting a whole range HIV related problems such as disseminated TB, pericardial disease, renal failure, Kaposi sarcoma, cryptococcal disease), patients with TB, as well as patients presenting with bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, leptospirosis, malaria.
The goal of this work will be to decrease the massive burden of HIV and TB by treatment to prevent transmission reduce serious comorbidities with the ultimate goal of improving health equity, as these disease have the greatest impact on those with the fewest resources. Outreach to surrounding areas will be done to expand the impact and create sustained impact. I also place a large emphasis on learning from this community of patients and providers as well as sharing experiences from my medical training for cross cultural exchange.
I worked seeing infectious disease consults including HIV, tuberculosis, pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, cryptococcal meningitis, CMV colitis, syphilis, and S. aureus bacteremia for people living in Cape Town and sent from hospitals in surrounding areas. Additionally I worked in the HIV clinic, tuberculosis hospital, antimicrobial stewardship rounds and inter-specialty rounds.
