Men fear HIV tests

It is midday at Njiru slums in Nairobi’s Eastlands area.

Two men and three women are here to test, counsel and possibly include residents who may be HIV positive in their treatment programme.

They are let into a house, identify themselves and the leader explains their visit.

After learning that the group is on a door-door HIV testing mission, the man of the house excuses himself saying he is late for work.

His wife also refuses to allow them carry the test on her.

“Come another day. Hopefully my husband will consent to it,” she says.

The group moves on to the next house, where they find a woman who introduces herself as Josephine Njeri.

Njeri has already taken a HIV test, and she informs them of her positive status.

Further, she reveals she is on anti-retroviral treatment (ART). Her husband too.

According to statistics, a worrying percentage of men who should be accessing ARV drugs do not turn up in healthcare facilities for testing and treatment.

Results from the latest Kenya Aids Indicator Survey report (KAIS 2007) shows that more women are being tested for HIV than their male counterparts; that, for every three Kenyans tested for HIV, only one is a man, whereas of the 270,000 Kenyans on ARV treatment, only a third are men.

“Kenyan men who should be accessing treatment are not doing so because they do not know their HIV status,” observes the Kenya Aids Control programme officer, Dr Francis Nyamiobo.

According to the clinical director of the Kenya Aids Control project Dr Joshua Kimani, stigma and fear of breaking family ties are key reasons for the low turnout of men for HIV testing and treatment.

Most men who don’t go for testing but suspect to be HIV positive access ART treatment through proxies.

Dr Nyamiobo says the dangers of using ART drugs without proper prescription has largely drawn attention amongst HIV/Aids caregivers.

“Such arrangements are risky and can lead to fatal side effects, such as damage and collapse of internal organs like the liver and kidneys,” Dr Nyamiobo observes.

The Kenya Aids Control project through various stakeholders is strategising on campaigns aimed at creating awareness on the importance of knowing HIV status and getting early treatment.

Through mobile voluntary counselling and testing services, as well as groups targeted campaigns, remarkable achievements are being realised in bringing more men on board to know their status and access ARV treatment.

Dr Nyamiobo commends Moonlight VCT services, which he says are playing a key role in offering testing and counselling services to long distance truck drivers and people who are active during the night.

Optimism on getting more people participating is high due to other innovative initiatives by players in awareness campaigns.

According to Mrs Alice Njoroge, a clinical director with Eastern Deanery Aids Relief Programme , outreach activities targeted at men are carried out both in their workplaces and in their homes. However, better results are being noted at the workplaces.

We are reaching out to people at work and those who fear going for HIV testing and ARV treatment,” she says.

In the programme, women who have been tested play a key role in bringing their men on board.

Where necessary, such arrangements of helping men access testing services are private between wives and care givers.

“The women can cajole their men to escort them to undisclosed destinations where they meet medics who counsel and test them,” Mrs Muchiri says .

The Kenya Anti-Retroviral Therapy Program estimates the number of HIV cases that would have been brought under ART programme by the year 2010 to be more than 300,000, up from the current 270,000.

The programme is also set to reduce the number of HIV related hospital admissions by 60 per cent.

The number is set to rise if only people realized the importance of knowing their HIV status and getting correct treatment.

Prior to learning about their HIV status, Njeri’s husband had a persistent cough which used to cause her lots of sleepless nights.

Her efforts to convince him to go to hospital for a check-up were in vain.

“My husband, a mason, always said he could not find time off work to go to hospital,” she recalls.

It was only eight months later when his symptoms got worse that he decided to go for treatment. Njeri’s husband tested positive for Tuberculosis, with his doctor advising him to also take an HIV test.

“We decided to take the HIV test together at the nearby VCT centre. We both found out we were positive,” she courageously testifies.

The couple is currently on ART from a local clinic that has an HIV/Aids programme.