Global HIV/AIDS

Kenya

HIV/AIDS in Kenya

6.0% Estimated HIV Prevalence
(Age 15–49)(2013)
58,000 Estimated Deaths (2013)
1,100,000 Estimated Orphans due to AIDS (2013)
548,588 Reported Number of Adults Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) (2012)
81% Estimated ART Coverage per WHO 2010 Guidelines (2012)

SOURCE:
UNAIDS Gap Report, 2014; UNAIDS Global Report, 2013

Strategic Focus

Launched in March 2000, CDC’s global HIV/AIDS office in Kenya works closely with the government of Kenya and implementing partners to support:

Comprehensive HIV Care and Treatment
HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for both adults and children, prevention of and treatment for opportunistic infections, and tuberculosis
Combination HIV Prevention
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision, HIV testing and counseling, evidence-based behavioral interventions, and prevention programs for key populations at increased risk of acquiring HIV
Laboratory Systems and Networks Strengthening
Laboratory accreditation and training, HIV testing, drug resistance testing, early infant diagnosis, and blood safety and infection control for healthcare and laboratory facilities
HIV Surveillance and Epidemiology
Public health research and planning and implementation of HIV surveillance systems
Health Systems and Evaluation
Health systems strengthening, program monitoring and evaluation, and health information systems

Key Activities and Accomplishments

Country Ownership
In 2012, CDC collaborated with the Ministry of Health, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, and other partners to implement the second Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey to provide national estimates of HIV prevalence, recent infection rates, and CD4 counts for HIV-positive individuals. This was the first AIDS Indicator Survey to incorporate home-based testing and counseling for study participants and point-of-care CD4 counts if the participant was found to be infected with HIV. The final report was released in 2014 and has already been used to inform HIV policy and planning, including updates to Kenya’s national ART guidelines.

HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC)
In a five year period, CDC tripled the number of persons provided with HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services through its implementing partners from 1.2 million individuals in 2009 to nearly 3.6 million individuals in 2013. Of the persons tested in 2013, over 144,000 (4%) tested positive. Innovative use of rapid response initiatives as well as provider-initiated and mobile counseling and testing helped increase the number of persons who were tested and know their HIV status.

HIV Treatment Services and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
As of September 2013, CDC supports 346,000 of the total 631,000 adults and children in Kenya on ART under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Additionally, CDC supports the Kenyan government’s goal of reducing transmission from mothers to children from the current estimated 10% to less than 5% of all births to HIV-positive mothers by 2015.