"PEPFAR gives protection"

PEPFAR Kenya gives hope and protection through....

preventing HIV transmission through Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

The Kenya national program has adopted a holistic, person-centred HIV prevention approach in both health facilities and community outlets. This combination prevention model includes offering biomedical, behavioural, and structural interventions tailored to the needs of specific populations; for example, 10–14-year-old adolescents are offered life skills and interventions to empower them make healthy choices, while those above 15 years are offered biomedical, behavioural and structural interventions. The interventions are further person-centred by ensuring that clients’ needs, values, preferences, and circumstances are catered for, to increase uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services. The core biomedical prevention package includes Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC), Condoms and Lubricants as HIV prevention methods, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment of HIV.

The PEPFAR Kenya program is currently expanding PrEP service provision by integrating into existing services offered in Kenyan health facility settings, and further expanding differentiated community models as well. At health facilities, client screening and identification of those at HIV-risk, linkage to PrEP, and PrEP continuation are monitored for fidelity. At the community level, PrEP initiation and refill services are offered for easy and friendly access; Provision of PrEP at pharmacies, safe spaces for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), and outreaches for men, young people, and the general population ensures access for all population groups.

Dan’s Story

Dan Oyugi is a PEPFAR PrEP champion whose story provides an excellent example of male involvement, and the role that it can play in creating an enabling environment for health interventions and support systems for young women - who are disproportionately impacted by HIV.

Dan was in a discordant relationship with his HIV positive girlfriend for three and a half years, and during their relationship, they had shared concerns regarding the best care for each other’s health. Fortunately for Dan, his partner had been enrolled into the DREAMS program, and had benefited from capacity building and empowerment on safe sex negotiation. She and the other young women in her ‘safe space’ meetings had also been advised to reach out to their male partners so that they may also learn their HIV status and participate in HIV prevention interventions.

Following demand creation and education on PrEP at the DREAMS safe space, the young lady - who knew her HIV status and was already on treatment - approached Dan with the proposal to know his status, and to use PrEP as a prevention method once he tested HIV negative. Dan agreed to visit the nearest health facility and was initiated on PrEP, after having been screened, determined eligible, and counselled on the effectiveness of PrEP among other combination prevention approaches. He took up PrEP diligently and has remained HIV negative.

As Dan recalls, in his own words: “My journey as a PrEP champion started when I fell in love with a lady who was HIV positive, while I was HIV negative. Since I was committed to that relationship, I decided to start taking PrEP to protect myself from contracting HIV, and we used condoms to prevent other STIs... I am now a male PrEP champion, and I encourage other young men to use PrEP to protect themselves against contracting HIV/AIDS.”

Throughout their dating relationship, and in their ongoing friendship since, the positive support that Dan and his friend have been able to provide to each other has enabled them both to adhere to their respective therapy, and as a result, it has enhanced their physical and mental health.   

Even though they are no longer dating, Dan is grateful for the opportunity he and his girlfriend had to share that journey, and that they both continue to take regular measures to protect their health regarding HIV. “I am very glad that we are still friends,” he reflects, “and that we can continue to encourage each other in remaining adherent to the medications we each take. PEPFAR has given us hope and protection because many lives have been saved.”