Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a rapidly growing public health problem in Kenya. In less than a decade, AIDS has evolved from a fulminant, rapidly fatal illness into a chronic disease. Already more than 2 million are estimated to have been infected in Kenya as from 1985 when the first case of AIDS was recognized.
The Guidelines are meant for the use of trained clinicians who have primary responsibility for treatment of HIV/AIDS patients.
The mainstay of managing HIV/AIDS epidemic is prevention and advocacy for behaviour change. However, Kenya hospitals continue to offer care to many patients who occupy beds for long with recurrent complications. Currently drugs for opportunistic infections are provided in public hospitals including anti-TB drugs. With advancing technology new powerful antiretroviral drugs regimens have become available and now form part of total continuum care of HIV/AIDS patients.
Proper use of these drugs, and monitoring will require capacity building of staff hence need for standard treatment protocols for providing the highest quality and most cost-effective health care. With the publication of these Guidelines to antiretroviral drug therapy, the Ministry is establishing standard regimens for antiviral drug use and monitoring of patients.
The manual is the result of considerable collective effort of senior clinicians and pharmacists from the Ministry of Health, the University of Nairobi and private hospitals.
It is hoped that these stakeholders will participate in training of doctors and nurses in rural hospitals where many AIDS patients are hospitalized. Availability of retroviral drugs to Kenyans who need them is the subject of debate but no doubt the government will soon put in place legal framework to increase access to these drugs.
These drugs will be used along-side priority advocacy for behaviour change at all levels in Kenya. The approach adopted by Kenya in the fight of Aids revolves around the sessional paper No. 4 of 1997 and the National Aids Control Strategy.
Like most publications, the initial edition requires regular revisions and updates in terms of content and context.

DR. RICHARD O. MUGA, OGW, DSM,
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL SERVICES
FEBRUARY, 2002