By Jecinta Mwangi
Nairobi, Kenya: Stigma has been a stumbling block in the fight against HIV/Aids, but the recently launched Undetectable equals Untransmittable campaign in the country has set the stage for its reduction.
The campaign, also known as U=U, is based on findings that HIV-positive people who are virally suppressed cannot transmit the virus through sex.
Speaking at a science café by the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), Dr. Lazarus Momanyi, a technical advisor and care and treatment Manager at National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCOP), said the U=U campaign is important because it helps fight the stigma associated with HIV.
Nearly 38 million people globally have been infected with HIV and 20.7 million of them are in sub-Saharan Africa, says the United Nations Aids programme. Over 41,000 new HIV infections occur annually in Kenya and out of these, over 34,000 are adults.
Approximately, slightly over 1.4m people are living with HIV in the country. Out of these, 1,164,753 (83.1%) are under ART coverage. There is a 94.7% viral suppression rate among adults who are consistent in Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
Some benefits of U=U include enhancing stable relationships among discordant sexual partners. It improves the quality of their lives as the negative partner in a discordant relationship does not have to worry about getting infected. Consequently, this normalizes the partners’ sexual relationship.
Additionally, it will also reduce barriers that exist for HIV testing and treatment. When people know about U=U, their interest in starting and staying on ART will increase along with improved self-esteem since the fear of being contagious will be done with. U=U supports healthy sexuality regardless of HIV status.
Joyce Omondi Auma, a former AVAC fellow and HIV advocate, says “The stigma that was around People Living With HIV is now reduced due to the U=U campaign.”
The U=U campaign was launched in Kenya on September 14, but experts say it is not the silver bullet.
“Our main aim is to achieve viral suppression of the HIV virus by combining U=U with other prevention methods and shifting our focus to the treatments,” he added.
A MESHA feature November 2021
