NAIROBI, July 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Former US president Bill Clinton launched Saturday a major initiative to counter HIV infections among children in the east African country.

    Clinton said the initiative is part of the Clinton Foundation's goal to provide anti-retroviral treatment to 10,000 HIV-positive children worldwide by the end of this year.

    Speaking at a local hospital in Nairobi, the former US president also pledged to help Kenya expand HIV/AIDS care and treatment, particularly for children and people in rural areas whotraditionally lack health services.

    "I must say that of all the developing countries that we have worked in, there are very few which have done as well as Kenya has done in commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS," he said.

    He said the initiative is intended to provide treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in those regions as supplies of cheaper and free life-prolonging medicines, known as anti-retroviral drugs, trickle into the country.

    "You have heard that there is a problem to providing health services in rural areas. This is a global problem and we are committed to helping you," he said.

    The former US president said his foundation was providing a supply of pediatric formulation anti-retroviral medicine that was procured at drastic discounts from the already established partnership with Cipla, a generic drug manufacturer, to the Kenyan government.

    "Increased availability of highly skilled people are needed to administer the drugs and facilitate proper testing, care and management of those infected and on ARV treatment," Clinton noted.

    He said the program he launched in Nairobi, carried out in close collaboration with the Kenyan health authorities, will effectively double the number of children in the country on ART.

    The Clinton Foundation's work in Africa has concentrated on helping governments design and implement AIDS treatment programs, with a special focus on children, rural areas and widening access to affordable AIDS drugs. Enditem