KENYA REQUIRES MORE HIV/AIDS FUNDING

Approximately $55 million is required annually to continue Kenya's comprehensive HIV/AIDS vaccine program, according to the locally based International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

At present, said Samuel Kalibala, regional representative of the IAVI, approximately $30 million is spent each year on vaccine research and trials.

Kalibala said that 70 people had been involved in HIV/AIDS vaccine trials in Kenya since 2001, and noted that more than 50 percent of them had developed what he termed "good immunity" as a result of the treatment. He added, however, that "it will not be until the end of 2008 that the trials are completed and conclusive results are attained."