Free anti-AIDS drugs.

05 Jun, 2006

Kenyans suffering from HIV/AIDS now have free access to life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) after the government had lifted the Ksh100 fee per dose at public hospitals and clinics. The move is good news for the 140,000 Kenyans who are eligible for ARV therapy but who are not undergoing treatment partly due to its prohibitive cost.

According to United Nations figures, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Kenya has fallen from 14 per cent of the population in 1997 to approximately four per cent today. However, the positive trend belies a host of problems associated with the virus and its consequences, including that of the 1.1 million children who have been orphaned by the disease.