Page 37 - Connecting cities and communities with the Sustainable Development Goals

United for Smart Sustainable Cities
Connecting cities and communities with the Sustainable Development Goals

system, which can regulate the HIV treatments given to infants, the HITSystem, a web-based system was
introduced in Nairobi and a few other peri-urban areas. 23,24

This case will examine the design of the HITSystem (as implemented in a pilot project) to identify the gaps in
its existing practices in order to provide suggestions for future research and programme streamlining.

2 The project

2.1 Vision

The HITSystem is an innovative online system for automated intervention and efficient tracking of HIV-
exposed infants. This HITSystem was introduced to limit the time for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
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testing cycle and to facilitate early ART initiation for children.
Deducing that 95% of HIV afflicted Kenyans seek and receive treatment through government hospitals, the
HITSystem has been incorporated into the working of ten public hospitals including four in the Nairobi region.
The main objective of using this system in Nairobi and other sites was to foster improved communication
between the concerned hospitals, clinics laboratories and parents/guardians for improved care for HIV-
26
exposed infants.
The whole system is premised on initiating early HIV testing for pregnant women and specialized testing for
infants born to HIV-positive mothers. This early testing and DNA PCR testing of prenatally exposed children
allows for the early commencing of ART, which has proven to reduce infant mortality by nearly 75%. In
general, after early HIV testing, the infant’s date of birth is fed into the system to create alerts for the eight
time-sensitive interventions specifically for HIV-exposed infants. Following the birth and enrolment of an
infant into the HITSystem, they will be tracked until they are determined to be:

(i) HIV positive: The infants who are found to be HIV positive will receive lifelong paediatric HIV care
(which includes ART) and their parents or guardians will receive timely alerts through mobile
phones. This is expected to allow for efficient infant tracking. In case the child requires to be
transferred to another hospital/clinic, every step including the transfer and treatment meted out, is
supervised by the HITSystem, to maximise prevention and treatment outcomes, and to time lags in
the communication of laboratory test results.
27
(ii) HIV negative at 24 months: These infants do not require any follow-up after the testing stage.
All these efforts within the HITSystem implemented in Kenya is aimed at laying the groundwork for reduced
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infant mortality and catering to EID Guidelines.

23 Lessons learned from implementing the HIV infant tracking system (HITSystem): A web-based intervention to
improve early infant diagnosis in Kenya, 2015.
24 Other sites were in the following regions: Rift Valley, Nyanza, Western Region (Kenya).
25 HIV / AIDS Program | HITSystem. Global Health Innovations,2017
26 Lessons learned from implementing the HIV infant tracking system (HITSystem): A web-based intervention to
improve early infant diagnosis in Kenya, 2015.
27 HIV / AIDS Program | HITSystem. Global Health Innovations,2017.
28 Lessons learned from implementing the HIV infant tracking system (HITSystem): A web-based intervention to
improve early infant diagnosis in Kenya, 2015.

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