The Narok county commissioner’s office has revived the Aids Control Units (ACUs) among the government departments in a bid to curb the rampant spread of HIV infections in the county.
Through a letter written to all heads of departments, county commissioner Isaac Masinde said in the year 2021, the county contributed up to 1.6 per cent equivalent to 522 new infections out of the 32, 027 new cases reported in the country.
“Last year, Narok County was ranked 21st nationally in the new infection cases. We want to up our game so that the new infections can decrease,” he said.
The formation of ACUs in various departments will help monitor the disease and put efforts to reduce the spread of the disease as the units will actively be involved in educating their members on the disease.
Masinde through the letter observed that statistics show that infections in adolescents and young people aged between 15 and 24 years was at 42 per cent of the total new infections in the county.
At the same time, statistics showed that 354 people died out of AIDs related diseases last year, 305 deaths occurred among persons above 15 years while 49 cases occurred among children below 14 years.
In a bid to reduce the upward trend of new HIV infections, the commissioner called on all heads of departments to revive ACUs Committees in their respective departments to address the issue.
“We want to work with the heads of departments to reduce the spread of the disease. All heads of department should submit a quarterly report on the same,” he said.
During the commemoration of World Aids Day in December 2021, the Narok County Governor’s wife Mrs. Sarah Tunai lamented that the increase in teenage pregnancy was a clear indication that most girls engage in unprotected sex.
She said the county leads in mother-child infections with 11.2 per cent way above the national prevalence of seven per cent.
Ms. Tunai reiterated that the main gauge of a zero-tolerance society against HIV/AIDS is reduction of the mother – child infections adding that the more children are born with the disease, the more the country is likely to lose in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
By Ann Salaton
