ELUSIVE SERIAL KILLER

ELUSIVE SERIAL KILLER
By Nyambega Gisesa

It has taken decades of research. Doctors and traditional medical healers have traveled the thorny path of unmasking the cure to the deadly HIV/Aids virus but the link between cure and death has remained as elusive as ever.

Since the deadly virus was discovered 25 years ago, only two vaccine candidates have made it to the final stage of human trials. Efforts by local doctors and researchers led by Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative researchers have flopped for several years.

But as the issue of finding a vaccine for the virus seems rather unrealistic as per now, doctors have shifted their focus into developing microbicides. This is a gel applied in the vagina or rectum before sex. However as fate follows any hopes of cure, microbicides have had their share of failures. Most users have complained about irritation in the vaginal area hence increasing the risk of infection.
Supported by such bad lack, latest statistics from health facilities and medical agencies indicate that, the serial killer infection rate is fast rising. And its not only in “unsecure youth” but also among men and women with marriage rings, a group that a few years ago was considered as safe and of minimal risk.

Nothing seems to save millions of lives from the epidemic that is still raging around the world, infecting an estimated 7000 people every day with a whooping 270 thousand children died from AIDS in 2007

According to the Coordinator of Pathfinder International, an international NGO based in Nairobi, Pamela Onduso married people are as risky as the young who are considered to engage in unprotected sex carelessly.

“Statistics indicate that married couples are being infected at an alarming rate mostly due to extra-marital relationships,” she says.
But researchers and doctors in Kenya are not relenting in the war to save the world from the scourge. And to win the war, they have intensified their studies into the most uncommon places; prostitution prone streets in Nairobi and married couples.

Recently, an advertisement has been circulating in the media warning married couples against trusting “spare wheels.”In a recent Inaugural scientific Conference held by Kenyatta National Hospital results from eight years of voluntary counseling and testing at Kenyatta National Hospital: Characteristics of clients, trends and prevalence rates established that married couples are among the current highest people to be infected with the virus.

“Today married couples are getting easily affected at an alarming rate as most of them have partners outside marriage or they are the group who default on condom use most with non steady partners,” Dr. David E. Bukusi expressed his worst fears in one of the presentations.

In a rejoinder to his words, the eight years research work done together with Dr.Sila A and Dr.Jared Odhiambo found out that with regard to marital status, 25% of married clients never use condoms with non steady partners.

In the research as at July 30th, 2008 a total of 56,417 clients had been tested in all clinical testing in the hospital, mobile clinics and in home testing models. The results showed more males 53.7 %( 29,783) than females 46.3 %( 25,667) had sought VCT services with the average age being at approximately 29 percent.

HIV prevalence was highest in the 25-29 age group at 3 %( 1,686), in the skilled category of occupation at 4.4%, in those with some secondary education at 5.9%, in those who never use condoms with steady partners at 6.9%, in the married monogamous at 5.7% and 8.4% among those who have single heterosexual partners. With regard to marital status, 25 %( 1,496) of married clients never used condoms with non steady partners.

Such statistics have helped show that marriage is no longer a safe haven. Speaking during the launch of a film The Silent Partnership in marriage in a hotel in Nairobi, The Centre for the study of Adolescence Director Rosemary Muganda-Onyando attributed such statistics to unfaithfulness among women and men with rings attached around their fingers.

“It’s quite uncommon today to see married people being faithful to each other. Marriage is no longer the safe territory it used to be as most partners engage in extra-marital affairs, “she said to an awestruck audience.

Recent statistics obtained by the daily metro from The Kenya Aids Indicatory Survey 2007 indicate that among married people, 45 per cent have a partner who is infected.

Away from warnings from health researchers to married couples to maintain one wheel at a time or be extra careful on spare wheels, prostitution rings within the city are now the most promising hunting grounds for the medical practitioners.
“I always come here to monitor the progress of my research on HIV/Aids. I have prostitutes working for me to help find out the cure to the virus,” Motari Okibo, a herbalist who claims to have previously cured a strain of the virus says.

But herbalists are not the only healers, risking arrest for possible prostitution from authorities in coming to this area to search for the elusive cure.

“We first established ground in this area from 1987 when our researchers studied women for a period of five years to find out what made them safe from the disease,” the Director of Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative, Prof. Omu Anala told the writer in a previous interview.

Margret Mwangi (name changed), is one of the prostitutes in one of the brothels along Luthuli Avenue who has been approached for the study.

“I have been in this business for the last thirteen years but I have never been infected with the virus. When I was approached by researchers to assist in their work I agreed but at a certain fee,” She says.

The lady who stays in Githurai area and mother of three school going children, is a bit worried as vaccines tested on her have failed flopped for reasons unclear.

“Its not happening, I think that I am not helping the situation in anyway,” the lady who took the deal expecting major financial expectations incase of an outbreak expresses her worst fears.

Such setbacks are not only attached to Kenya, as scientists around the world feel that more basics need to be learnt first about the virus. They believe that more concentration should be put on research in basics before conducting further human trials.
But major outbreaks seem decades away as the virus that has made its way around the globe, keeps on changing faces. Although several labs have promising leads, none will be ready soon enough with the current setbacks.

Whether the world can manage to find a cure depends on whether the virus takes a more benign form and joins the ranks of common-cold bugs, or grows even deadlier and less predictable.
But come December 1st, the whole world will gather to celebrate the World Aids Day with the same uncertainty of a miserable future as finding the cure to the virus remains more of a mystery than real.