Kenya (2013): Pretest of HIV Testing and Counselling

Population-based data indicates that HIV testing coverage in Kenya currently stands at 53.6% of the adult population, 58% of women and 42% of men have ever tested for HIV. Though rural residents are more likely to test for HIV than their urban counterparts™ urban residents are more likely to have ever been tested. Interestingly those with the highest and lowest levels of education as well as women and men aged 15-19 and 40-49 are those that are least likely to have ever been tested for HIV. While 93% of Kenyans are HIV negative, of the 7% that are HIV positive, as many as 4 out of 5 do not know their HIV status. Among those in relationships 90.4% were HIV concordant negative 5.9% were HIV discordant and 3.8% were concordant positive. Knowledge of a place to get tested for HIV is almost universal in Kenya; 92 percent of people know a place where people can go to get tested for HIV, though young people and aged 15-19 and people living in rural areas were among groups that were least likely to know where to go for a test. 1.2 Past HTC demand creation campaigns PSI/K has supported demand creation efforts for HIV counseling and testing services since the program started in Kenya 2000. Initial communication on HIV testing and counselling concentrated creating awareness on the need to have an HIV test amongst the general population as well as promoting awareness VCT services and increasing the perceived availability of VCT centres, culminating in the development of the VCT logo. Subsequent campaigns such as œChanuka with the tagline œchukua control wewe mwenyewe targeted youth aged 15“24 years and encouraged them to get to know their HIV s tatus and take control of their lives. This to a successful spin off on that campaign targeting couples, dubbed Chanukeni pamoja with the tagline œOnyesha mapenzi yako. More recently The Jitambue Leo- targeting individuals and Jitambueni Leo “targeting couples, campaigns were developed to support accelerated HIV testing and counselling services during a defined period also known as rapid results initiatives. Testing Avenues In an effort to achieve Universal Access (80% correct knowledge of HIV status), the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP) facilitated the piloting of a range of service delivery approaches for HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC) which included workplace, mobile, outreach, home-based and health facility-based services in order to increase opportunities for HIV testing. HIVdiscordant couples in married or cohabiting partnerships are vulnerable because they may have more frequent sexual contact and report lower condom use compared to partners in other types of relationships. It™s for this reason that it™s important for couples to test so that in the event on of them is HIV+, they can get into care and treatment early enough to reduce the chances of HIV transmission.