Kenya has taken significant steps forward in the fight against infectious disease, with new statistics showing strong gains in HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis control.
More than 1.36 million HIV-positive people are receiving treatment, representing 98 percent of those who have been diagnosed, according to the Ministry of Health.
The rate of HIV transmission from mother to child has also dropped dramatically from 14 percent to 7.2 percent over five years.
Malaria cases have declined by 30 percent since 2018, while fatalities due to the disease dropped by 40 percent between the years 2022 and 2023.
Success in this sector is due to mass distribution of over 45 million treated bed nets by health authorities. In the case of TB, its prevalence has dropped by over a third since 2015, and treatment success has increased to 89 percent.
The results were also highlighted during a Pre-#TICAD9 parliamentary meeting with Japanese lawmakers, and Kenya was represented by Public Health PS Mary Muthoni and Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth.
The success has been driven by domestic momentum inwardly supported by external aid from partners such as JICA, TICAD, the Global Fund, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Muthoni explains.
We have made gains on HIV, TB and malaria because national leadership has united with worldwide solidarity,” she said. “Now the challenge is to maintain these gains through co-investment and long-term partnerships.”.
