From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 3:19 PM

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

KENYA will receive a total sum of Kshs 40. Billion from the UIS government to support HIv/Aids programmes.

This is the highest amount given to any of the 15 African nations under the programme established by former US President George Bush.

Officials attribute this flow of cash to success in local anti-Aids prorammes and shrewd lobbying through pragmatic policy

An agreement between Kenya and US government will be signed before the end of this month, according to Prof. Aloys Orago, the director for National Aids Control Council {NACC}, in a report presented this week to a Parliamentary Heath Committee in Nairobi yesterday.

Prof.Orago said the US now supports the proposed Kenya National Aids Strategic Plan for the next four years, which is set for launch and dissemination.

The director, however, did not provide details of the agreement.

“Kenya is the biggest recipient because her anti-Aids programme is efficient“, said the director, as he proposed the establishment of an Aids Trust.

The Trust should receive donations from the government and other sources, including proposed taxation on cell phone airtime and air travel.

Prof. Orago report indicated that most of new HIV infections are among displaced poor, gay people/homosexuals in jail, fishermen and pastoralists at the Coast. It also discloses that Kenya’s anti-aids and HIV programmes were distorted following post-election violence .

The new fund will cover prevention and circumcision campaign, purchase drugs for aids and tuberculosis and support orphans, among other interventions.

Meanwhile news emerging from Dar Es Salaam says, Tanzania is lagging behind other East African Community member countries in rolling out treatment for HIV/Aids.

The report cited another report by the World Health Organization {WHO}, Unicef and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids {UNaids}.

While Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have over 4o percent of all HIV positives people on antiretroviral, Tanzania’s level has fallen below 28 per cent, the average for low and middle income countries receiving drugs.

Like in Tanzania, treatment programmes in countries like Mozambique and Zimbabwe continue to face various challenges with their access levels too being below 28 per cent.

According to a report released recently by the three agencies, more than 13 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are now receiving ARV treatment, a dramatic increase over the figure from three years ago, when only 100,000 people were on the treatment programme. The donor agencies, including the Global Fund and Repfar, the US government fund has now committed over to contribute about USD 50 billion over the next five years to fight the disease.

Globally, more than four million people in poor countries were receiving anti-retroviral therapy {ART}at the end of 2008, representing a 36 per cent increase in one year, an tenfold increase over five years, according to the three agencies,

The greater progress was witnessed in Sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of all HIV infections occur, with countries like Kenya and Uganda achieving above average treatment rates.

Botswana,which like South Africa, has prevalence rate in excess of 13 per cent, treatment has reached over 80 per cent of the patients who need it.

But, according to the UN report entitled “Towards universal access scaling up priority HIV/Aids interventions in the health sector”, at least five million people living with HIV still do not have access to life prolonging treatment and care.

The WHO, Unicef and UNaid attribute the progress made so far in rolling out treatment, to availability of cheaper ARV, including generics, as well as better counseling and testing service,

The cost of most first line regime decreased by 10-40 per cent between 2006 and 2008, the organizations noted. However, second line regime decreased by 10-40 percent between 2006 and 2008. However,second-line regime continue to be very expensive.

Accessibility of VCT also improved in 39 countries, the UN bodies say. The total reported number of HIV tests more than doubled between 2007 and 2008. In total, 93 per cent of all countries reported that they were providing free Hiv testing through public sector health facilities in 2008.

According to the UN report, notable progress was in particular made in 2008 in widening access to HIV services for women and children. By year end, approximately 45 per cent of HIV transmission to their newborns up from 5 per cent of all pregnant women in these countries, has HIv up from 15 per cent in 2007.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Subject: US GOVERNMENT TO GIVE KENYA SHS 40.8 BILLION FOR HIV/AIDS CONTROL PROGRAMME AS REPORT BLAMES TANZANIA FOR GIVING LITTLE ATTENTION TO ARV TREATMENT.