Children need anti-retroviral drugs most, says report
Anti-retroviral drugs. The latest global figures provide a grim reading, with the revelation that Kenya has the fourth highest number of new infections, meaning a reversal of the gains realised in the past. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Health ministry says children are in the greatest need for anti-retroviral treatment.
- A report says 760,000 children with the virus need treatment most as their immunity is weak.
Children are in the greatest need for anti-retroviral treatment, according to the Health ministry.
A report, to be released on Wednesday by the Aids control council, says 760,000 children with the virus need treatment most as their immunity is weak.
More than 140,000 adults and people above 15 years, and 79,000 pregnant women also need the treatment, according to the report titled Kenya HIV Estimates 2014.
Of all the HIV positive people last year, 985,000 have a CD4 count of less than 350, the report says.
VIRAL LOAD
A CD4 count is the level of the viral load in the blood of a person infected with HIV. The lower the count, the sicker the person.
Last year, 10,390 children died of HIV-related illnesses, while 27,000 women and 20,760 men accounted for the rest of the deaths.
The Health ministry estimates that the continued increase in the use of anti-retroviral treatment, since 2009, has saved 380,000 lives.
“If this continues, there will be a reduction in preventing of mother-to-child transmission and child treatment,” the report says.
The decrease in the number of HIV-positive pregnant women was attributed to the reduced transmission in young women, and reduced number of pregnancies in older women.
The report also has the input of National Aids and STI Control Programme.
