Fewer Kenyans dying of AIDS, report finds
30/11/2009
Fewer people in Kenya are dying of AIDS, it has been discovered.
A report compiled by the United Nations, entitled the 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update, found that AIDS-related deaths in Kenya have fallen by 29 per cent since 2002.
This is something that may be attributed to the increased use of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, the paper states, as approximately 300,000 Kenyans - 28,000 of who are children - are currently on ARVs out of a possible 1.4 million infected people, informs the Daily Nation.
According to the report, this is an improvement from the 10,000 people that were on ARVs in 2001.
The research also found that the prevalence rate of HIV in Kenya has stabilised to 7.4 per cent.
Michael Sidibe, executive director of UNAids, stated: "The good news is that the declines we are seeing are due, at least in part, to HIV prevention."
Earlier this year, the Daily Nation reported that a development team lead by American and Canadian researchers believe that a combination of ARVs and targeted treatment could help to destroy infected cells, as well as the virus itself.
Written by Clare Devlin
