Chemists in Meru have been warned against selling HIV testing kits exorbitantly.
Dr Hassan Murungi, who is in charge of the HIV-Aids department said they have received information that the saliva testing kits are being sold for Sh800 instead of Sh500.
“They are selling the kits at exorbitant prices against the recommended price by the government. The saliva droplets individual testing kits have standard prices," he said.
"I ask Meru people who are told to buy the kit at more than Sh500 to report to me and we will take the necessary action to know why they sell them at such high prices.”
Murungi said the disease prevalence has drastically increased, with about 24,000 people infected.
In Kenya, he said, there are about 1.3 million people infected with HIV with only 1.1 million currently taking antiretrovirals.
“Among the 24,000 only 20,000 are using ARV medicines. There are many more who have never gone for HIV testing, so they don’t know whether they suffer or not," Murungi said.
"Since 2012, the disease has been on increase in Meru. You can buy the saliva testing kits for own testing at your convenience. Kissing cannot transmit HIV and unless one consumes five litres of the infected person’s saliva, which is completely difficult. The kits detect the lowest per cent of the HIV virus found in saliva.”
He said HIV testing is free and no one should be charged for voluntary testing.
Murungi appealed to lodging owners to allow the county government to distribute condoms at their premises to aid the fight against HIV-Aids.
“We have Kemsa depot in Meru but the challenge in the county is that lodging owners don’t allow us to take the condoms to their premises so that they sell them. This makes some people vulnerable,” he said.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
