Intensify civic education on HIV/AIDS, medic tells AIDS’ body

A retired Medical expert Dr. Milton Ouma has appealed to the National Aids Control Council to upscale HIV/AIDS campaign activities along the Lake Region and gold mining areas in Migori County to help reduce infection rate in the region.
Dr. Ouma who spoke to the Kenya News Agency in Migori town said that serious and sustained civic education was required in Nyatike gold mine areas and in the entire shores of Lake Victoria to help create awareness on the dreaded disease.
“We admit that a lot has been done to create awareness on the disease but much is still needed to ensure that the people are well acclimatized with the danger of the disease,” he stressed.
He said human lifestyle within the areas presented a good recipe for more infections and required that medical experts and organisations charged with the disease control to come out in full throttle to face the challenge at all cost.
Dr. Ouma said that most HIV/AIDs civic education conducted in the county
has not been reaching these HIV-prone areas effectively and it was high time NACC seriously took up its responsibilities.
He said efforts to reduce the spread of the disease in the county would only be achieved if more efforts was directed towards Sori, Muhuru bay and Osiri gold mines where people seem to be living in denial of the existence of the disease.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ouma advised expectant mothers to deliver in hospital to prevent mother to child HIV infection.
He said most expectant mothers have been delivering at home hence the higher chances of disease transmission to their new born babies.
Dr. Ouma who served in the government in various capacities till the year 2015 also appealed to the youths living with the virus to shun deliberate infection of their partners, saying it was criminal.
He said that those who were living with the disease should also strive to keep off re-infection by abstaining from sex or engaging in limited sex with one known partner.
By George Agimba