Department of Health in Kiambu County has conducted a sensitization walk to address the Triple threat of New HIV infections, Adolescent Pregnancies and sexual and gender-based violence in the community.
The sensitization walk was held in Kikuyu Sub County and involved stakeholders from different departments in both the county government and the national government and also included private Community Based Organizations (CBOs)
According to Dr. Elias Maina, the County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, the walk serves as a platform to educate participants and the community about the importance of preventive measures against infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.
“We have named the Walk ‘End the Triple Threat’ because it is aimed at addressing the rising cases of gender-based violence, new HIV infections and teen pregnancy in the county,” Maina said.
He added that the walk enables the health care workers to provide valuable information on vaccination campaigns, proper hygiene practices, and the significance of regular health check-ups.
“As we speak, HIV prevalence in Kiambu stands at 40 percent, teenage pregnancies in the county have also risen in the recent year with National Aids Control Council (NACC) reporting that every week about 98 adolescent of 10-17 years old get infected with HIV in Kiambu Country alone,” said the health CEC.
On her part, Mrs. Olympia Karimi a Director at the State Department of Gender Director said the fight against sexual and gender-based violence is a continuous process that requires bringing together all members of the society through such initiatives and actively speak up and taking action.
In Kiambu, 41.7 percent of individuals have expressed experiencing physical violence in the last year with 16.6 percent being sexual gender-based violence according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022,” Karimi stated.
Participants were also encouraged to adopt healthier lifestyles, engage in physical activities, and prioritize regular screenings to detect and manage these conditions effectively.
This year only Kiambu County registered 46 new HIV infections and 148 SGBV cases as of May 2023 according to NACC report.
According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), globally 15 percent of women give birth before their 18th birthday and Violence against women and girls is an epidemic that affects 1 in 3 women throughout their lifetime.
The report also stated that a total of 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence, and globally 7 percent of women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner and as many as 38 percent of murders of women worldwide are committed by an intimate partner.
By Grace Naishoo
