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Transcript/Script((INTRO))
[[Kenya has the seventh-highest number of people living with HIV on the continent, at 1.4 million, according to the National Syndemic Disease Control Council. The country has, however, made progress in slowing its spread. As Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi.]]
((NARRATOR))
Lucy Wanjiku was a teenage mother, right out of high school when she tested positive for HIV. Her child died two weeks later.
Wanjiku, who lives in Nairobi, drew upon her own experience years later to found Positive Young Women Voices, a community-based organization that advocates for and supports girls and young women affected by HIV.
((Lucy Wanjiku, Positive Young Women Voices)) ((English, 14 secs))
“There’s a girl somewhere, the same way I felt I had no one to hold my hand, probably needs me to come in and hold her hand. Probably listening to my story. She’ll make better choices than the ones I did, and she won’t have to go through what I went through.”
((NARRATOR))
The government is also combating the disease. Dr. Linet Juma, an infectious disease specialist in Nairobi, says training health care professionals in HIV management, increasing health facilities in various parts of the country, and providing free medication are some of the factors that have contributed to improvement of HIV care in Kenya.
((Dr. Linet Juma, Infectious Disease Specialist)) (Female, in English))
“There’s a reduction in mortality. There’s a reduction in mobility. So, we are not in an era where you see someone who looks skinny, emaciated and you are like, ‘Oh, that is HIV/AIDS.’ People are living healthy and able to mingle with everyone else without their status being known.”
((NARRATOR))
Of the 1.4 million people living with HIV in Kenya, 1.1 million are enrolled on antiretroviral therapy, with 73 percent of them achieving viral suppression, according to the country’s Ministry of Health data.
Over the past decade, new HIV infections have decreased by 78 percent, and AIDS-related deaths by 68 percent, the National Syndemic Disease Control Council reported.
Despite the milestones, health experts say the prevention of mother-to-child transmission remains a challenge.
Wanjiku says testing has changed over the years.
((Lucy Wanjiku, Positive Young Women Voices (Female, in English)))
“I tested when I was two months pregnant. I never got tested again. But now, for every visit that you go to the clinic as a pregnant woman or mother, you have to get tested.”
((NARRATOR))
World AIDS Day is observed each year on December 1, and this year's theme is “Let Communities Lead.” Juma says communities play a fundamental role in the eradication of HIV in Africa.
((Dr. Linet Juma, Infectious Disease Specialist (Female, in English))
“There are a lot of measures that can be put in place, when you know your status. Be informed. And that way, I think Africa will be able to eradicate the HIV infection.”
((NARRATOR))
Despite all the good work, AIDS is still considered an epidemic in Kenya. But the country is working with the United Nations to ensure new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths drop by 90 percent between 2010 and 2030.
((Juma Majanga, VOA News, Nairobi, Kenya.))
NewsML Media TopicsHealth
Topic Tags Africa Central, africacentral, AC, Africa, Africa Division, africadivision, AD, VOA Africa, Africa Central News
Season Number2023
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Kenya
English TitleKenya HIV/AIDS Care
Embargo DateDecember 5, 2023 20:14 EST
Description EnglishKenya has the seventh-highest number of people living with HIV on the continent, at 1.4 million, according to the National Syndemic Disease Control Council. The country has, however, made progress in slowing its spread. As Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi.
