Global Business Coalition, PEPFAR To Launch $5.4M Program For HIV, TB, Malaria, Worm Infection Services
The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief are expected to launch a $5.4 million initiative in western Kenya that will provide home-based services for people who are living with HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria or worm infections, Business Daily reports.
The program, called Health at Home/Kenya, sends health workers door-to-door to provide HIV testing and counseling, TB diagnosis and treatment services, insecticide-treated nets and malaria drugs, as well as de-worming treatments.
Moi University School of Medicine researchers conducted a pilot project of the initiative between September and November 2007. They found that 95% of participants allowed physicians and counselors to visit them in their homes and more than 80% of those approached were willing to participate in the project.
According to Business Daily, there are about 1,000 voluntary counseling and testing centers in Kenya, but many people find them difficult to access for economic and social reasons. A lack of data on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in the country has hindered efforts to fight the diseases, according to health workers. GBC and PEPFAR said that home-based services will provide more accurate estimates and lead to improved intervention efforts.
Paul Wekesa of Liverpool VCT Care and Treatment added, "It is imperative to get as much data from these groups as possible to know which policies will best capture their needs and address their concerns" (Aron, Business Daily, 4/15).
