Off the wire
• 1st Ld-Writethru: China announces soil pollution controls  • St. Petersburg has warmest May since 1907  • JSE closes in red as resources lead losses  • Ugandan President Museveni vows to crack down on corruption  • U.S. stocks trade mixed amid upbeat data  • Political advisors discuss innovation, entrepreneurship  • China to check halal food  • Feature: From tent to modern campus -- China-aided school brings joy to Namibian students  • Juncker reiterates call for solidarity in coping with refugee crisis  • LME base metals mostly increase on Tuesday  
You are here: 　 Home

Kenya an exemplar in HIV prevention and treatment: UNAIDS

Xinhua, June 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

The UN AIDS program (UNAIDS) on Tuesday lauded Kenya's prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS that affects an estimated six percent of the country's population.

UNAIDS Executive Director, Michele Sidibe, said Kenya had earned global recognition for its pragmatic response to HIV through comprehensive testing, treatment and management programs.

"Kenya has been an exemplar in prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids. By 2015, an estimated 900,000 out of 1.5 million Kenyans living with AIDS had access to treatment," Sidibe said.

He was speaking in the Kenyan capital Nairobi during the launch of the 2016 Global AIDS Update, which reveals that immense gains have been achieved in containing the epidemic that affects some 35 million people worldwide.

According to the update, 17 million HIV infected people worldwide now have access to treatment.

Sidibe said Kenya was chosen as the venue for the launch of the 2016 Global AIDS Update due to its "remarkable progress" made towards the achievement of key targets like universal testing, treatment and reduction of AIDS-related deaths.

The report was launched ahead of a UN General Assembly high-level meeting on AIDS scheduled for June 8 to 10 in New York.

During the meeting, world leaders will renew political commitment to ending AIDS by 2030.

Sidibe commended Kenyan leaders for rallying behind an aggressive campaign to reduce new AIDS infections among vulnerable groups like adolescents, women and children.

The Kenyan government has committed huge resources and man power in the battle against HIV in an effort to achieve the 2030 target of eliminating the epidemic.

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Cleopa Mailu, said medical and funding interventions launched recently had hastened Kenya's progress towards achieving AIDS-free status by 2030.

"Due to strong partnerships and collective efforts, new HIV infections dropped by half in less than a decade," Mailu said.

However despite this progress, Kenya is recording 100,000 new HIV infections annually, the official added. Endit