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More than 32,000 persons living with HIV on anti-retroviral drugs are skipping their medications, posing a threat to national control efforts.
According to the Ministry of Health, the figure could be as high as 60,000 considering that the report was published on December 1 and based on the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey 2012 when only 500,000 were on anti-retroviral. A report released by Health Cabinet Secretary Dr Cleopa Mailu in June at a UN meeting which put the number of Kenyans on ARVs at 900,000 was disputed.
The study shows HIV patients who take their medications correctly every day reduce the risk of infecting their uninfected partners.
Stored blood samples for people on ARVs in 2012 national survey were shipped to South Africa for analysis of presence of the medicines. About 10 per cent of the samples showed no evidence of HIV drugs.
The report indicates that most youth aged between 15 and 29, those in the rural areas and users of recreational drugs do not adhere to treatments.
It also shows that the less educated and poor are more likely to skip medication compared to their elite counterparts.
The report further reveals that people on ARVs and have a habit of buying sex are most likely to skip their medication.
“Persons engaging in high-risk behaviour, including a history of giving money, gifts, or favours in exchange for sex, had higher levels of skipping medicines than those not in such lifestyles,” the study.
The study was conducted by the Ministry of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi and published in the journal Plos One.
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