KENYA

DISEASES IN KENYA

AIDS

Kenya is home to one of the world’s harshest HIV and AIDS epidemics. An estimated 1.5 million
people are living with HIV; around 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS; and in
2009 80,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses. Kenya’s HIV prevalence peaked during
2000 and, according to the latest figures, has dramatically reduced to around 6.3 percent. This
decline is thought to be partially due to an increase in education and awareness, and high
death rates. Whilst many people in Kenya are still not being reached with HIV prevention
and treatment services, access to treatment is increasing. More than half of adults who need
treatment are receiving it, with around 100,000 additional adults on treatment in 2010 than in
2009. In comparison, the number of children in need of antiretroviral treatment that are receiving
it is extremely low. An estimated 170,000 children are eligible to receive treatment, yet only
around 1 in 5 have access to it. This demonstrates Kenya still has a long way to go in providing
universal access to HIV treatment, prevention and care.

HEPATITIS B

Hepatitis B can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer and other liver
damage, and sometimes it’s fatal. The disease is spread through unprotected sexual contact, blood
transfusion, or the use of contaminated needles. Mothers can also pass the virus to their children during
childbirth. There’s a vaccine, but as the risk is limited, many doctors only recommend this for travellers
who may have sexual contact with local residents, especially if visiting for more than 6 months, or who
expect to receive blood while in Kenya. Over 95% of people who become infected as adults or older
children will recover fully and will become immune to the virus.

MALARIA

 

Kenya has the worst variant of malaria which, if untreated, is fatal in a number of cases. Malaria is

transferred by mosquitoes that bite between sunset and sunrise. The malaria risk is low in the cities and
highlands and higher at the coast. There’s no vaccination for malaria yet, but you can protect yourself by
avoiding to be bitten (by sleeping under a good mosquito net, using insect repellent containing DEET and
covering your arms and legs) and by taking anti-malaria pills as a prevention. None of them guarantee
that you don’t get the disease, but together they make the chance pretty low. Malarone is the newest anti-
malaria prevention drug and it reportedly has few, if any, side effects.