HIV and AIDS and Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa is the second most affected region by HIV and AIDS in the world after Southern Africa. While the general prevalence has been reducing during the past two decades in the region, with the prevalence in Kenya dropping from 14% to 5%, new areas of concern with regards to infection among the  most-at-risk populations are emerging. This is particularly true for injecting drug users, prisoners and uniformed services among others.

UNODC is working in close partnership with governments and civil society oganizations in several countries in the region to address drug use and HIV prevention and care. In Kenya, Mauritius,Tanzania and Uganda, UNODC is a member of the Joint UN Programme on AIDS, thereby supporting governments to implement their National AIDS Strategy.  In Kenya, an innovative programme for HIV prevention among injecting drug users is being implemented since 2005 in partnership with the Ministry of Health and NGOs. 20,400 drug users have been contacted by community outreach workers, 18,000 referred for Voluntary Counselling and Testing and 10,900 tested. More than 3,000 of them have received drug dependence treatment and 750 are under care for HIV and AIDS, including Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ARVT).