Mandera HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is on the drop according to National AIDS Control Council statistics.
While presiding over the World AIDS day celebrations in Mandera town Saturday
Area Deputy Governor Mohamed Arai said the prevalence rate had dropped from 1.7 per cent in 2015 to about 0.2-0.5 per cent in 2018.
He attributed the decrease in AIDS transmission to efforts made by the county government in liaison with the national government and development partners.
In Mandera, the disease management is poor due to the nomadic lifestyle of residents.
The deputy governor said the devolved unit would continue allocating resources towards fighting other infections in the region through the midterm expenditure framework (MTEF).
Speaking during the celebrations Mandera Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairlady Ubah Gedow accused men in the region of fueling HIV/AIDs stigmatization by discriminating against victims, more so women.
Mandera town MCA Aden Abdullahi said the county government was in advanced stages of profiling illegal businesses in the region which aid in the spreading of the disease.
Abdullahi advised residents from other parts of the country to abide by the area culture and traditions and desist from businesses that were not in line with the Islamic religion.
Public health county executive committee member Mohamud Mohamed asked the youth to abstain from sex before marriage to reduce the spread of the disease while Rhamo MCA Kula Guyo asked the county government to upscale the supply of condoms in social amenities.
By Dickson Githaiga
