Kampala, Uganda Rotation Site

Background
In 1908, a young Winston Churchill wrote in his My African Journey, that Uganda was "truly the pearl of Africa". Uganda is an East African country of 28 million people.  Uganda was an early epicenter of HIV/AIDS in the 1980's.   The HIV prevalence among adults was once nearly 25% but through unprecedented political leadership, a  national response and plan lead to a decrease in the rate of new infections, such that the current 2005 estimate is ~8% HIV prevalence.   While Uganda is located on the Equator and the climate tropical, the elevation of Kampala is 3900 feet, thus the weather is typically quite pleasant.  The land is lush with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August). Uganda has been an independent country since 1962, and the country has been politically stable for the past 20 years.  Uganda is approximately the same size as Minnesota, but has almost 6x the population.

The University of Minnesota and Makerere University have an ongoing relationship involving the medical schools, residency education, and medical research.  Since 2002, UMN medical students, pediatric and med-peds residents, and infectious disease fellows have visited Mulago Hospital, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic, and the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) in Kampala, Uganda. The IDI's Mission is to build capacity in Africa for the delivery of sustainable, high quality HIV/AIDS care and prevention through training and research.

Infectious Diseases Institute supported by the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Afri Mulago National Referral Hospital