As the World commemorated World AIDs Day under the theme ‘Take the rights path: My health, my right’, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on global leaders and citizens to champion the right to health with human rights at the center, with communities in the lead, by addressing critical issues such as inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDs as a public health threat by 2030.
Globally, HIV remains a major global public health issue, having claimed an estimated 42.3 million lives to date, and at the end of 2023, an estimated 39.9 million people were living with HIV 65 percent of whom are in the WHO African region.
Dr. Ruth Masha, CEO National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC), said that they are failing children since the new infections coming up are from children even though mother- to child transmission( PMTCT) is being prevented, she therefore urged the need to speak about sex and sexuality to the children with their appropriate age from where they start growing until they become adolescents and adults.
According to Dr. Masha, Kenya is on the right trajectory in ending HIV with a decline in HIV transmission from mother to child from 14 percent to 8.6 percent in 2023, thus is still work to be done to meet the global target of less than 5 percent in 2025.
A report by the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) indicates that Kenya has lost 2,607 children aged 0-14 years to HIV/AIDs, signaling a stalled effort in stopping mother-to-child transmission. The report also indicates an estimated 1,411 of the new infections, about 37.7 percent occur due to the mother dropping off from taking Ante-Retroviral Therapy (ART) drugs.
Dr. Masha noted that the challenge of addressing HIV transmission during the period of breastfeeding and pregnancy requires that men and boys be engaged in prevention interventions that will steer up efforts to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Dr. Deborah Barasa, Cabinet Secretary for Health, revealed that the Ministry has a programme that will entail engaging with stakeholders in finalizing National and country operational plans in the next six months. The strategic plans of the programme will entail guiding the country’s journey towards a resilient and self –reliant in HIV response by 2030 through the global partners remaining steadfast, highlighting the importance of continued innovation and improvements in the health systems. The key development is the adoption of long-acting injectable Cabotegravir for HIV prevention, which transforming the country’s approach to care.
The CS noted that the plan will focus on five key actions including conducting epidemic and response appraisals to address vulnerabilities and inequalities and addressing diagnostic commodities and workforce in the health system that will ensure they focus on addressing HIV/AIDs across all age groups.
According to Dr. Barasa, the new HIV infections have declined by 83 percent from over 101,000 in 2013 to 17,000 in 2023 with AIDs related deaths decreasing by 64 percent over the same period indicating the incredible progress the country has made in addressing HIV/AIDs.
She affirmed that leveraging data for evidence-based decision-making is a key feature in the plan which calls for investing in legal and policy reforms to eliminate stigma and discrimination.
Brian Rettmann, US Government’s PEPFAR Coordinator for Kenya noted that while the country is climbing some steep hill, it’s not yet at the summit, and thus it must ensure that the progress must be accelerated and sustained.
‘It calls for a collective action from sectors and demands for Kenya to increase its domestic investment in health with the PEPFAR theme of collective action being, ‘sustain and accelerate HIV progress, ‘said Rettmann.
WHO, the Global Fund, and UNAIDS all have global HIV strategies that are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) target 3.3 of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, and by 2025, 95 percent of all people living with HIOV should have a diagnosis,95 percent of whom should be taking lifesaving antiretroviral treatment and 95 percent of people living with HIV on treatment should achieve a suppressed viral load for the benefit of the person’s health and reducing onward HIV transmission
According to WHO, it recommends that health workers advocate for access to essential HIV services by incorporating HIV, respectful human rights, and without stigma into routine health interventions and ensuring that they deliver care that is kind
Steven Angugo Shikoli, the National Coordinator Network of TB Champions in Kenya, noted they have not highlighted anything to do with TB yet we know that TB is one of the leading causes of death among people with HIV/AIDs. The WHO report that came out indicated that the leading cause of death is TB. He urged the Ministry Of Health (MoH ) to ensure that in future events, they should also address TB since the country is not taking the matters of HIV with a lot of seriousness which has made TB come up as an advanced HIV that has resulted in a lot of deaths caused by TB
According to Steven Shikoli, emphasized the need to merge the communication that will ensure that are creating awareness when it comes to issues of TB. World AIDS Day is a very important platform and event that should remind people that TB is everywhere and is still airborne since people are still suffering from it.
He added by encouraging the National HIV Syndemic Program as well as NASCOP to ensure that we are also addressing issues about TB even in the future since it is still killing people.
Dr. Samuel Kinyajui, the Country Director of Age Healthcare Foundation here in Kenya (AHF), commemorates the first achievement that Kenya as a people and HIV response has gained from the highs of double digits in terms of prevalence to now 3.3 which is a commendable achievement. This is through the government, development partners, health workers who have worked childish safe to make it possible, and the civil society groups that mobilized people to appreciate and accept HIV treatment that is shrouded with a lot of stigma and discrimination.
Dr. Kinyajui urged on the need to accelerate the prevention in order to end HIV by 2030 since there is a reasonably high number of New HIV infections among the youth. Therefore it is paramount that they prevent HIV among the youth and children who have HIV transfusion from mother to child.
“As civil society, we have three main concerns which are dwindling funds and the exclusion of people living with HIV from the Social Health Insurance Fund(SHIF) because they are listed under pandemic as exclusion, vertical programs and also excluded from SHA program,’’ he said.
He urged on the need to end the exclusion and discrimination through providing cover for them under chronic care since HIV infection now is actually a chronic medical condition that is related to having diabetes or hypertension. He appeals to the authorities concerned for ksh 4,500 which will be sufficient money to provide for consultation since they visit their facilities four times a year and to cover their once-per-year lab tests that are necessary to check their kidneys, liver, and thyroid so that they get to know the medication they are getting are not harmful. The ksh 4500 is a bare minimum which is transformative and sustainable because it is anchored in law and all Kenyans are contributing to Social Health Insurance including people living with HIV.
Dr. Kinyajui noted the importance of integration which is good for improving sustainability and minimizing the cost of managing HIV patients. Their main concern is about the documentation, the follow-up, and measuring of outcomes in order to make sure that they are not leaving any patient behind during the integration. Another concern is about the shortage of free condoms for distribution condoms which is a result of the government not being able to buy all the condoms that the people require. However, the government can make it easy and make the price of condoms that are available in social marketing condoms cheaper so that the middle-income people working class can afford them.
“Nearly 50% of the cost of a condom is taxed and if the government were to reduce the taxes, then it would be possible to half the prices of condoms from ksh 100 to ksh 50 which is affordable because the condom is a triple prevention of STIs, teenage pregnancies and new HIV infection,’ said Dr.Kinyajui.
Additionally, he applauded to President’s Emergency Plans for AIDs Relief (PEPFAR), Global Fund, and other partners who are putting their money into supporting HIV response in Kenya including AHF which is self-funded, that without the development partner, particularly the President’s Emergency Plans for AIDs Relief (PEPFAR), they would have lost millions of lives in that even if they are to cut down their funding, one of the things they should never cut back is funding for medication since the medication is real life to the 1.4 million Kenyans living with HIV infection.
