Cure in sight for HIV infection

• Discovery works by eliminating infected cells from the body thus killing the virus

The study conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital’s School of Medicine hopes to come up with a new way of designing a vaccine candidate.

Since last year the researchers have opened up new centres in Korogocho and Kangemi to study more prostitutes. The research will go on until 2010 and is expected to shed more light on why they are resistant to HIV infection.

But it is the new US-Canada study that offers more and possibly closer hope for over 260,000 Kenyans living on anti-retrovirals. Some of the drugs in use in Kenya present patients with serious side effects.

The government has been considering withdrawing several brands of anti-retroviral medicine that have been found to have severe side-effects, especially on women, according to the director of the National Aids/STDs Control Programme, Dr Nicholas Muraguri.

Although the incidence of HIV in Kenya is said to have stabilised in the last few years, there are still concerns over specific groups which include couples and steady partners, male prostitutes and surprisingly enough among medical personnel.

According to a World Health Organisation sponsored study and published on The Lancet on Saturday, the incidence of HIV and Aids in the health work force in Kenya is twice the national average, and death is the main cause of attrition.

The Africa-wide study, says 43 per cent of deaths or medical retirement of health workers were known or suspected to be caused by HIV and Aids, and 37 per cent were known or suspected to be due to TB. The study does not explain this trend.