The discovery of a drug that can cure HIV is good news in the global campaign against this devastating public health challenge.
For Kenya, it’s even more fascinating, as one of our compatriots is directly involved in this effort. America-based Dr Benson Egadwa is in the team that carried out trials that saw the elimination of the virus in living mice.
Researchers are upbeat that the world is getting closer and closer to finding a cure for HIV/Aids. HIV is a massive pandemic of our times.
Nearly 19.6 million people in East and Southern Africa, including 1.5 million Kenyans, are living with HIV, and about 380,000 have died from it.
There is not a single Kenyan who does not know of a relative, close friend, workmate or associate who is living with HIV or who has died of Aids. Being more prevalent in the most economically active segment of the population — between teenage and middle age — HIV poses a grave challenge in developing countries.
Though the use of antiretroviral drugs enables those infected to live longer, the cost is beyond the reach of many poor people.
It’s a huge burden, especially for the public health sector, which is short of drugs and health workers to combat the scourge.
This drug is quite promising since, during the tests, the scientists found no trace of the virus in 30 per cent of the animals used in the study. But we must not tire of stating that there is no cure for Aids yet and the new drug will not be available overnight.
The HIV awareness campaign and how to avoid contracting it must continue. Those infected should access ARVs and avoid reinfection by shunning risky sexual behaviour, just like those who are HIV-negative.
Credit: Source link