University of California - Davis: Durban - HIV/AIDS and Healthcare in Durban

The Global Health Summer Abroad Internship program provides students interested in health the opportunity to gain first hand clinical rotation experience while being immersed in a local community.

Experience Durban, the heart of Kwa-Zulu Natal province in South Africa, and the heartland of Zulu culture. This dynamic city of over 3 million people is South Africa’s second most populous city, as well as the preferred destination for warm subtropical weather and beaches. South Africa has made great strides towards improving the lives of the black population by focusing funds and effort in improving sanitation, education, employment and access to quality healthcare. Despite great efforts, the repressive legacy of Apartheid and the HIV/AIDS and TB pandemics have continued to overburden the fledging healthcare system.

Globally, of the 35 million people currently living with HIV, a daunting 71% are in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa has the world’s largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, and the Kwa-Zulu Natal province was the epicenter of this epidemic. Participants will have the unique opportunity to join the local healthcare team at a primary care facility on the grounds of St. Mary’s Hospital providing preventative medicine, while focusing on comprehensive treatment for HIV patients.