Abstract: HIV/AIDS is a pandemic disease and its scourge has had a devastating impact on health, nutrition, food security and overall socioeconomic development in countries that have been greatly affected by the disease. In 2007, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains the region most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, accounting for 67% of all people living with HIV and for 75% of AIDS deaths. The engagement of HIV/AIDS with under-nutrition form a symbiotic relationship and one increases the prevalence and severity of the other. HIV infection increases energy requirements through increases in resting energy expenditure, reduced food intake, nutrient mal-absorption, negative nitrogen balance and metabolic alterations that lead to weight loss and wasting. Moreover, intervention programmes, which simply employ antiretroviral drugs, have been found to lack effectiveness particularly when the patient is under-nourished. Preliminary evidence indicated that improving nutrition status might improve some HIV-related outcomes. This presented conceptual framework perhaps answer the urgent need for renewed focus on and use of resources for nutrition as a fundamental part of the comprehensive package of care at the country level. The expected outcome of this framework will have direct effect on 90% of HIV infected subjects in West Africa vis-à-vis slowing down /eliminating the progression of HIV to AIDS through Nutrition and HIV Integration and service delivery.
Keywords: HIV; AIDS; Public Health; Nutrition; Food Security; Conceptual framework; Intervention programme; Antiretroviral drugs.
