Kenya's new survey shows improvements in health 

Nairobi, Kenya– TheMinister for Public Health and Sanitation, Hon. Mrs. Beth Wambui Mugo,launchedthe main report of the 2008-09 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) today. It shows thatKenya has made progress in improving children’s health andreducing fertility.  More children are living past their fifth birthday,and fertility has declined very modestly.  There have also been increases in HIV testingand HIV/AIDS-related knowledge.

Nationwide,infant mortality has markedly decreased. Currently, 52 children per 1,000 live births die before reaching ageone, down from 77 deaths per 1,000 live births as measured in 2003, the date ofthe last KDHS.   Similarly, the number of children who die beforetheir fifth birthday has decreased. Under-five mortality has dropped from 115deaths per 1,000 live births as measured in 2003 to 74 deaths per 1,000 livebirths in 2008-09. This represents a 36percent decrease.  Furthermore, theproportion of children fully immunised has increased from 57 percent in 2003 to77 percent in 2008-09.   

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Thetotal fertility rate in Kenya has decreased slightly. This is the first decline since 1999. Women in Kenya have, on average, 4.6children. This represents a modest decrease from 4.9 children in 2003.  Thedecrease was the greatest in the Rift Valley, where the total fertility ratedeclined from 5.8 as measured in 2003 to 4.7 in 2008-09.

Contraceptiveuse has increased from 39 percent of married women in 2003 to 46 percent in2008-09.  Use of modern methods of family planning has increased from 32to 39 percent since 2003.  Urban and rural women are almost equally likelyto use modern methods, but use varies widely by province, ranging from a low of4 percent of married women in the North Eastern province to a high of 63percent in Central province.   

HIV testing has increased dramatically. Currently, 57 percent of women have ever beentested for HIV and received their results, which is an impressive increase fromthe 13 percent of women as measured in 2003. Likewise, HIV testing has increased for men. Currently, 40 percent have ever been testedfor HIV and received their results, compared to 14 percent of men as measuredin 2003. Additionally, HIV/AIDS-relatedknowledge has increased since 2003. Theincreases in knowledge of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV were moredramatic. The number of women who knowthat HIV can be transmitted by breastfeeding and the risk of MTCT can bereduced by the mother taking special drugs during pregnancy increased from 28percent in 2003 to 65 percent in 2008-09.   

The 2008-09 KDHS relies ondata collected from a sample of households which is representative of the wholepopulation. The survey conducted from November 2008 to February 2009interviewed 9,057 households, 8,444 women age 15-49 and 3,465 men age 15-54.

The 2008-09 Kenya Demographicand Health Survey (KDHS) was carried out by the Kenya National Bureau ofStatistics (KNBS), in partnership with the National AIDS Control Council(NACC), the National AIDS/STD Control Programme (NASCOP), the Ministry ofPublic Health and Sanitation, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), andthe National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD). ICF Macro,an ICF International company, provided technical assistance through variousphases of the survey through the USAID-funded MEASURE DHS programme.

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