WORLD AIDS DAY - DECEMBER 1st 2010

Started on December 1st 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2010 is "Universal Access and Human Rights".

World AIDS Day is also an opportunity for us to remember people we have known who have died of AIDS.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.3 million people living with HIV including 2.5 million children. During 2009 2.6 million people became infected with the virus and an estimated 1.8 million died of AIDS.

In Kenya 1.5 million people out of a population of over 39 million are living with HIV/AIDS; around 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS; and in 2009 around 80,000 people died of an AIDS related illness.

For more information about HIV/AIDS in Kenya : http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-kenya.htm

Arrow Web Hospital and HIV/AIDS

The staff at Arrow Web Hospital and the Community Outreach Team are making a real contribution to the prevention of the spread of HIV in the Embakasi District of Nairobi.

We offer confidential counselling to people of all ages before and after HIV testing at Arrow Web Hospital. If a patient tests HIV positive we then refer them for Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) from a local NGO.

Our Community Outreach Team raises awareness about HIV transmission and the importance of using condoms, with individuals and groups in the community, encouraging people to go to Arrow Web Hospital for testing if they have been at risk.

Patients who become ill with AIDS related illness are given "first aid" treatment at Arrow Web Hospital and then referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialist treatment. We help many patients by providing transport to take them there, as it is 34 kms away.

Our main contribution to the reduction of the spread of HIV is PMTCT or the prevention of mother to child transmission. An HIV infected mother can pass on HIV to her baby during pregnancy, labour and delivery or through breastfeeding. Without treatment up to 30% of babies born to HIV positive mothers will be infected during pregnancy and delivery and up to 20% will become infected through breastfeeding.

The rates of transmision from mother to baby can be greatly reduced if they are given the appropriate ART as soon as possible. It is therefore really important that we encourage pregnant women to find out their HIV status so that we can give them counselling, start their treatment and encourage then to come to Arrow Web Hospital for the delivery. Many women are reluctant to find out their HIV status and very afraid of their husband's reaction when they find out they are HIV positive. So we also offer HIV positive women support after their baby is born.

Last year we provided ante natal care for over 1400 women and over 1300 women came to Arrow Web Hospital to deliver their babies.

For information about how HIV is transmitted:http://www.avert.org/can-you-get-hiv-aids.htm

Here is a link to three posters in different languages: World AIDS Day Posters 2010

Avert World AIDS Day 2010 Video: