After suffering a devastating earthquake last week, Haiti now faces the challenge of repairing its damaged healthcare system. Among those affected will include HIV and AIDS patients.

Eight hospitals near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, have been either damaged or destroyed. Other medical facilities are now busy serving survivors of the earthquake.

With all the destruction, HIV and AIDS patients may find it difficult to access their medications.

Nearly 120,000 people are currently infected with HIV in Haiti. Among men and women between the ages of 15 to 49, the infection rate (the percentage of Haitian adults living with HIV) is currently 2.2 percent.

Missing doses of antiretroviral medications can cause blood levels of the virus to surge, which can then lead to treatment resistance. With so many individuals having the disease, it is imperative that treatments are delivered to those who need it in a timely fashion.

When the AIDS pandemic first began in the 1980s, experts became concerned that the disease would be fatal for Haitians. Instead, due to swiftly implemented public health programs, infection rates stayed low.

Organizations and clinics such as the Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO) aided in containing the disease.

Since 1982 GHESKIO has been Haiti’s leading HIV research and training center. GHESKIO provides a range of services, including HIV testing and counseling, reproductive health services, pediatric services, and services for a number of other sexually transmitted infections.

Due to the recent earthquake, however, both of GHESKIO’s two campuses located in Port-au-Prince suffered structural damages. Nevertheless, the clinic is still functioning, and is now focusing on recovery efforts.

Numerous relief efforts are now underway to assist Haiti.

Those who would like to help GHESKIO can do so through Cornell Weill Medical College, which is organizing donations to be sent directly to the clinic.

Aid for AIDS, an organization based in New York, is currently accepting donations of unexpired medications, including antiretrovirals, which will be sent to HIV patients in Haiti.

The Red Cross is currently accepting donations via its Web site and via text to 90999.