The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) in partnership with the County Government of Murang’a will embark on sensitization forums in effort to curb spread of HIV/AIDs.
The public forums will focus on educating the locals and especially young people to embrace behavioral changes aimed to end new HIV infections.
NSDCC Chairman Mr Geoffrey Gitu on Thursday, observed despite Murang’a being among low burdened counties with HIV prevalence, infection rate among young people is on rise in the recent past.
In 2022, the chairman said, Murang’a County had an HIV prevalence of 2.3 percent where an estimated 20,000 people are living with HIV noting that a number of those infected, are not under medication thus at high risk of spreading the virus.
“As the country targets to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030, there is need to put more focus on our young people who are currently leading with new infections,” he stated when he led a team from the council to pay a courtesy call to the county governor, Irungu Kang’ata.
He added, “In the proposed forums which will be done at ward levels, we will also address other challenges associated with HIV including early pregnancies and gender based violence.”
Gitu further said a multi-sectoral approach will be employed to ensure locals get the right information and embrace to end new infections.
“There is a need to ensure all those infected are put under medication and monitored so as to ensure our aim of ending new infections is attained. Next month we will have our first engagement public forum at Kanyenyaini ward,” stated the chairman.
Head of NSDCC county support division Douglas Bosire said emerging new social habits like sex among men and drug injections have contributed substantially to the HIV burden.
He explained in Murang’a despite having HIV prevalence of 2.3 percent generally, women are more vulnerable to HIV with a prevalence of 3.3 compared to 1.4 percent among men.
“The epidemic is geographically diverse in the county, ranging from high prevalence of 3.5 percent in Mathioya Sub County to a low of 1.3 percent in Kandara Sub County.
“Increase of people on antiretroviral treatment has seen the county reduce AIDS-related deaths by 71 percent from 903 in 2013 to 261 in 2022,” highlighted Bosire. He further said new HIV infections also reduced by 91 percent from 1970 in 2013 to 178 in 2022.
“About 36 percent of new adult infections were attributed to adolescents and young people aged 15-24 years. HIV transmission from mother to child has also reduced from 24 percent to 24 percent to 8.4 percent.” He remarked.
Bosire noted NSDCC among the purposes of the triple threat initiative aims to build resilient and sustainable platforms that are adolescents and young people centered for effective prevention of new HI infections, sexual and gender based violence and mis-timed pregnancies.
Murang’a County AIDs and STIs Coordinator David Kinyanjui on the same time called for a multi-sectoral approach and community led responses to curb new HIV infection.
He called upon young people in the county to go for HIV testing and counseling as a way to help end new infections.
“Young people have been avoiding testing for HIV but we challenge them to come out and be part of this fight to end new infections.” Added Kinyanjui.
A programme officer with NSDCC Monica Njoroge castigated men for failing to go for HIV testing saying the high prevalence among women is due to frequent testing when they go for prenatal clinics.
“It’s unfortunate, men avoid doing HIV testing and this has led to low prevalence when in reality, the number of those infected with HIV is high,” she observed.
By Bernard Munyao and Anita Omwenga
