Previously, those eligible for the treatment had to have a CD4 cell count of 350 and below.
The report found that 1.2 million people or 5.6 per cent of adults in Kenya aged between 15 to 64 years are living with HIV.
Kenya has revised guidelines for HIV management to start interventions early, bringing 214,000 more people under preventive care.
The Ministry of Health said those infected with HIV would be put on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs if they had a CD4 cell count of 500.
Previously, those eligible for the treatment had to have a CD4 cell count of 350 and below. The guidelines also recommend that pregnant or breast feeding women with HIV should immediately be put on antiretroviral therapy and continue taking the drugs after delivery.
“The new guidelines will make HIV patients live longer and reduce their chances of transmitting the disease to others,” said Health Secretary James Macharia during the launch of the 2012 Kenya Aids Indicator Survey (KIAS) Final Report and the New HIV Treatment Guidelines.
The report found that 1.2 million people or 5.6 per cent of adults in Kenya aged between 15 to 64 years are living with HIV.
This is a decrease from the 2007 figure of 1.4 million or 7.6 per cent infected. Approximately 85 per cent of people living with HIV, who are aware of their infection and are eligible for antiretroviral therapy, are receiving treatment.
The new steps are in line with guidelines released by the World Health Organisation in 2013 that recommended early management.
WHO statistics show that adopting the guidelines could avert three million HIV-related deaths and prevent 3.5 million new infections by 2025. Mr Macharia said financial constraints delayed Kenya’s adoption.
ARVs are given free of charge in all public hospitals. About 90 per cent of the treatment costs are met through donor financing — mainly the Global Fund and the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief.
