AEGiS-IRIN: Kenya: Food and ARVs: "I will survive..." (multimedia)

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Kenya: Food and ARVs: "I will survive..." (multimedia)

Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 7, 2009

MAKUENI, 7 September 2009 (PlusNews) - More than 200,000 Kenyans now have access to free antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, but in a country that experiences frequent food shortages, drugs are rarely enough to keep HIV-positive patients healthy.

IRIN/PlusNews visited the homestead of Mbula Waema, an HIV-positive widow living in a district of eastern Kenya hit by a food crisis resulting from drought and crop failure.

Mbula receives free ARVs from her local clinic, and is a member of Zingatia Maisha [Swahili for focus on life], an ARV-adherence support group run by the African Medical and Research Foundation. But while Mbula adheres to the drug prescription, she struggles to feed her 10 dependants - and herself.

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