PACT Endeleza is a five-year program that has been supporting the implementation and expansion of high quality, sustainable and comprehensive HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs, with funding from the US Centers for Disease Control under PEPFAR. PACT Endeleza works in partnership with Nairobi City County Government and other organizations. “We work with Dream Trust Kenya which is an NGO providing comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment services to low income groups in poor areas of the city. We also work with SOS Children’s Villages and the University of Manitoba,” explained PACT Endeleza Program Director Dr. Rebecca Wangusi.
Nairobi City County has been an epicenter of Kenya’s COVID-19 outbreak. It is also where PACT Endeleza supports 40 facilities that provide HIV testing services; along with 7 drop-in centers for female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and the transgender community; and 2 additional clinics that offer methadone to people who inject drugs.
One of the first measures taken by the PACT Endeleza team as COVID-19 impacted the country was to safeguard patients and staff. This was done by procuring personal protective equipment, establishing socially distant handwashing facilities, and instituting decongestive measures to keep patients at clinics a safe distance apart. Patients were also given three-month supplies of antiretroviral medication to help reduce their facility visits. In some cases, couriers were used to deliver medication.
Nevertheless, early on in the outbreak three healthcare workers tested positive at one of the supported facilities in the Ngara area. The facility was forced to close for 21 days, which left those who had been receiving treatment there in a desperate situation.
The PACT Endeleza team worked aggressively to help the Ngara patients find other nearby facilities to continue treatment, and followed up with them regularly by phone. The team also responded to support the government in limiting further spread.
“We realized that when our first healthcare worker tested positive in Ngara, (Nairobi) County needed more support in setting up its emergency operation center and also contact tracing,” explained Program Director Dr. Rebecca Wangusi. The PACT Endeleza team provided equipment to initiate contact tracing. “We procured mobile phones and airtime for them to be able to trace any contacts that they identified or who were in quarantine or in isolation,” she said. The team also provided technical assistance to healthcare workers via online platforms such as Zoom. The frequent contact provided essential guidance and also helped to allay fears and concerns.
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