This is a documentary filmed in 2006 about Swaziland. It is probably not the most hard-hitting accurate journalism about the monarchy, but it does give some of a feel for the country. It also briefly visits the Mbabane government hospital HIV wards showing obviously the sickest of our patients.
Yesterday, was a day of familys refusing for their children or wives to start antiretroviral medications. One child was a 7 month old who had been seen one month prior. Dave had written the prescription for the medication after teaching had been completed. Unfortunately, Babe (father) had taken the child away because he did not want to start. Yesterday, he was brought by an aunt because of how poorly he was doing. He now weighs 7 pounds at 7 months old. He was admitted for severe malnutrition and dehydration. I would be surprised if he survived the night. I was not even sure he was going to survive through my exam and writing the orders.
There were a couple other examples of Babes not being willing to start medication for their children and wives, but the other big one for me cannot be blamed on babe. I believe I wrote about a 13 yo severely malnourished boy whose aunt had brought him to clinic. His CD4 count (immune cells that HIV kills) turned out to be 2. Normal for an adult is around 500 and less than 200 qualifies you for medications. He basically has no more immune system, but his mother who did not come to clinic and may actually be on ARV (antiretrovirals) herself said no. I cannot pretend to know what it is like for these families to live with HIV socially or medically, but I do not see how you can watch your child waste away and die before your eyes.
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