Feature:New HIV pill offers lease of life to Kenya's discordant couples

Agnes Nyambura of Kenya has retained an exceptional sense of humor and sunny optimism despite living with the HIV virus for several years.

The mother of two was diagnosed with the virus after the death of her husband and has defied immense stigma and discrimination to pursue her music career that currently foots the household bills.

Nyambura remarried after losing her husband to AIDS and has been taking anti retroviral drugs to suppress viral load and avoid the risk of contracting opportunistic infections.

The bubbly artist and her husband who is HIV negative on Thursday attended the unveiling of a new HIV pill called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) that was hailed by Kenyan health experts as highly effective in protecting HIV free but high risk individuals from infection.

Targeted in this rollout are the likes of Nyambura's husband who is HIV negative but could be at risk of contracting the virus from his HIV positive wife.

Speaking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the unveiling ceremony in Nairobi, Nyambura was upbeat the new HIV pill will erase anxieties previously held by her husband.

"The rollout of PrEP is timely and reassuring to us discordant couples. My husband who is HIV negative is now confident of zero chance of contracting the virus," said Nyambura.

Both her two young sons are HIV negative and have been a source of inspiration and pride to a community health advocate whose decision to remarry faced stiff resistance from the wider society.

"I was aware my first husband died of Aids related complications and when I revealed the issue to my current partner, he initially dismissed the story until we went for a test," said Nyambura.

Her marriage to Peter Waweru, a 43 year old farmer in 2008 was not only unprecedented but also upended rigid norms upheld by a conservative society for decades.

"So many people condemned my decision to remarry while others questioned Peter's motives. They knew I was HIV positive and thought I was hell bent to infect dozens of men for revenge," Nyambura said.

Waweru reminisced his unwavering quest to win the heart of his current wife whose beauty, elegance and sense of humor is unmatched in his ancestral village located in central Kenya.

"I was determined to win over Nyambura's soul and kept on pursuing her even as she rejected my overtures. She thought I was a joker and when we settled for a joint HIV test, she began to take me seriously," said Waweru.

He revealed that discovering his new found love was HIV positive did not shed him off the rails and only emboldened him to cherish her despite vitriolic scorn from close relatives and friends.

"My marriage to Nyambura has flourished in the last nine years despite gloomy predictions by skeptics. She has outstanding qualities and her HIV positive status has never eroded my affection for her," Waweru told Xinhua.

He will be a beneficiary of the new drug for HIV negative individuals at risk of infection.

The middle aged farmer and entrepreneur hailed the launch of PrEP saying it will boost intimacy and trust with his HIV positive wife.

"At some point, I was afraid of contracting the HIV virus but the launch of the new HIV drug has reassured me and my wife. It is now possible to conceive another child with my wife since the risk of infections is negligible," said Waweru.

Waweru and his wife belongs to a growing list of Kenya's HIV discordant couples who have defied huge odds to stick together, sire children and live normal lives.

Statistics from the ministry of health indicate that Kenya has an estimated 44,000 discordant couples.

Researchers who spoke during the unveiling of PrEP said it is ideal for discordant couples intending to have children since it reduces the chance of infection to the child and the uninfected partner to bare minimum.

"Six years of rigorous scientific research has proved that PrEP is highly effective in preventing HIV transmission. Clinical trials in South Africa have indicated it has over 90 percent efficacy," said the head of reproductive health at Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nelly Mugo.

Kenya became the second African country after South Africa to launch PrEP that will be availed to high risk groups like discordant couples, youth, sex workers and people in same sex marriages.

Campaigners hailed unveiling of a new drug for HIV negative people saying it will encourage them to marry their HIV positive peers since the risk of infection is minimal.

"Adoption of PrEP will save many lives, it is a historic milestone for discordant couples and other high risk groups in this country and the region," remarked the Chair of Network of People Living with Aids in Kenya, Nelson Otuoma. Endit