Clinton in Kenya To Announce New Program To Put 1,000 HIV-Positive Children on Antiretroviral Drugs

Former President Clinton arrived in Kenya on Friday and is scheduled to announce an initiative on Saturday to provide an additional 1,000 HIV-positive children with antiretroviral drugs, effectively doubling the number of children in the country on HIV/AIDS treatment, Xinhuanet reports (Xinhuanet, 7/22). The Clinton Foundation will launch the program by providing pediatric formulations of antiretroviral drugs purchased at a discount through a partnership with Cipla, an India-based generic drug manufacturer. The initiative is part of the foundation's goal to provide antiretroviral treatment to 10,000 HIV-positive children worldwide by the end of this year. The foundation also is helping the Kenyan government procure antiretrovirals and diagnostic testing equipment at low prices (Clinton Foundation release, 7/21). "Within two to three years, we could actually turn this epidemic around if we all work at it and do what makes sense," Clinton said in an interview on Thursday on "Today" with Katie Couric, adding that "you have to attack education and prevention and care and treatment at the same time" because "the two things feed off each other" (Couric, "Today," NBC, 7/21). Clinton is on a weeklong tour of six African nations to promote the work of his foundation in the fight against HIV/AIDS (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/20). On Thursday, he visited an HIV clinic in the Mnazi Mmoja General Hospital on the island of Zanzibar and met with officials from the Zanzibar Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS. He also visited Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho and Rwanda (AFP/Yahoo! News, 7/21).