The first major step in the prevention of HIV/AIDS infection in Kenya is ensuring that everybody has been tested. Each person should know about their HIV status.

Many people don\'t know, or don\'t want to know their HIV status. If they have never been educated about HIV/AIDS prevention then they are at great risk of becoming infected and possibly infecting others.

The village Chiefs and Elders encourage their communities to be tested.

Testing clinics require for as many people to attend as is possible. A common tactic is to team Voluntary Testing and Counseling sessions (VTCs) with general health clinics.

Villagers will often have minor ailments that they can have treated for free by the government.

The majority of patients are expectant mothers, young children or the elderly.

This young boy is suffering from jaundice. The yellowing in his eyes is caused by liver failure. The doctors at the clinic suspect this to be a case of Hepatitis.

Mothers also take their children to be vaccinated against Malaria. The mosquito transmitted disease is also to blame for a large number of deaths each year in East Africa.

When the villagers arrive to collect their medicines they are educated about HIV and AIDS.

The main high risk demographic is noticeably absent at the VCT clinics. Young adults are still concerned about the stigma attached to visiting a clinic.

Accurate education is key to preventing infection. Some people still believe that HIV can be spread via kissing, sharing a toilet seat or it can be contracted from mosquitoes.

HIV can only be spread by blood contact or from a mothers\' breast milk.

This woman was diagnosed as HIV positive before she fell pregnant with her third child. Her son is also HIV positive.

This is her 15 yr old daughter and her own baby. They are HIV negative but she faces having to look after her siblings if her mothers\' condition deteriorates.

Many women lose their husbands to the HIV/AIDS virus. They are usually infected too and are left to provide for their children.

Some parents are luck enough to see their children become adults. However, many die before that stage and the children are often orphaned.

As the HIV/AIDS virus is spread between generations, the importance of educating new mothers is a priority.

If food is in shortage, HIV positive mothers will feed their child with breast milk, they have little choice. This means that if the child has survived the birthing process without becoming infected then they will most likely contract the virus from it\'s mothers\' milk.

Food shortages are a major concerns for those living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya.

If someone is receiving antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) to control their symptoms, and they are not eating properly, then the drugs will have little effect.

Local NGOs distribute food to those living with HIV/AIDS. The food is donated by countries from all over the world.

This is not simply a case of providing an individual with food but providing for the entire family.

The rations are calculated to last for one month but the food rarely last for that time.

Large families require large quantities of food.

A largely illiterate population means that records are kept using an ink pad and thumb print.

As the search for those infected with HIV goes on, the numbers of people that require assitance is growing.

A limited quantity of food cannot feed everyone and many receive no help at all.

This system is dependant on people being able to visit Kilifi Town to collect their food.

Many people live in very rural areas and cannot afford transportation.

For those lucky enough to be left in the care of an older sibling there is still some hope for keeping their family together.

This young woman left school to care for her younger sisters after their parents succumbed to AIDS. She now runs a small stall in order to feed and educate her sisters.

She is also HIV positive.

For those that are orphaned there are few options. The lucky ones will be accepted into residential schools.

Many are HIV positive.

With the correct care and treatment they can live happy lives.

ARVs are available that can considerably extend the lives of those infected. The availability of such drugs is the issue.

The children are raised as normally as is possible in order to prevent any discrimination against them.

They attend classes with HIV negative children and play as any other child does.

As their parent didn\'t have the opportunity to teach the children the very basic lessons in life, they are taught them in school.

Those living with HIV are provided with two meals a day and are cared for by a local church.

For those living in rural areas, their battle again HIV is even greater.

Their access to care and treatment is greatly impaired by a crumbling infrastructure. Many of the villages are a considerable distances into the interior of Kenya and road transport is slow and difficult.

Housing is also still very basic in the interior villages.

Several people will live in a small hut and only the sick or infants will be allowed to sleep under a mosquito net.

The availability of ARVs has allowed many to live much longer than they normally would. This system is a process of adhering to the treatment until it no longer works, then moving on to the next form of ARVs. In East Africa there are usually approx. six forms of ARV available to the public. In the Western world there are dozens of ARVs.

The future of Kenya in dependant of several key factors: identification, treatment, education and prevention of the HIV/AIDS virus.

International aid is key to this as Kenya\'s own economy cannot sustain the kind of support that is required.

Many small NGOs have been battling the virus but are facing a huge task in a very challenging country.

The younger generations of Kenya are informed about HIV and now need to make their own informed decisions.

Poverty has forced many to abandon any education that might have been available. The fight against HIV/AIDS now needs to focus on those young adults. A very high risk demographic and a very challenging one to reach.