There is a growing concern over adolescent pregnancies and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in relation to new HIV/AIDS infections in the country, the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) has said.
Data from NSDCC shows that 62 adolescents aged 10 – 19 get infected with HIV every week and forms 18 per cent of all antenatal care attendances and 36 per cent of all SGBV cases.
Also, NSDCC statistics have shown that there were 22,154 new infections in 2022, out of which 17,680 were adults and another 4,464 were from children aged 0-14 while 41 per cent of adult new HIV infections occur among adolescents and young people aged 15 – 24.
It is against this backdrop that the government is implementing the triple threat campaign, which is a robust whole government and society approach to incorporate all stakeholders towards mitigating this growing trend for adolescents, which is a threat to achieving 2030 targets.
NSDCC Officer in Charge of County Operations, Dr Douglas Bosire said the Government embarked on the campaign, which covers ending new HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies and SGBV and seeks to among other issues, facilitate a coordinated approach to transition young people from schooling to work and build resilient a resilient platform.
“We are concerned about the issues of adolescent pregnancies and SGBV in relation to new infections because we have noticed that in counties where we have a high number of adolescent pregnancies and SGBV, we also have a high number of new HIV infections,” Bosire said during a media stakeholders meeting.
Overall, out of the 1.37 million of the population currently living with HIV, 145,125 are young people (15-24) while 88,853 are adolescents aged 10-19.
Although the country is on track towards reduction of new HIV infections, which have reduced by 78 per cent in the last 10 years from 101,448 in 2013 to 22,154 last year, attributed to the Government’s targeted HIV prevention interventions, adolescents and young people aged 15-24 continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV.
10 counties accounted for over half (53 per cent) of new HIV infections in 2022, which include Nairobi, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Nakuru, Siaya, Migori, Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, Kajiado and Narok.
Bosire said the triple threat programme is facilitating an enabling environment to enhance access to treatment, care, mental health and justice for survivors of SGBV, pregnant children living with HIV as well as enhancing systems of re-integration for SGBV survivors and return to school for adolescent mothers.
“We might fall into a situation where we think that HIV and AIDS is no longer a threat but based on the numbers we see, we are doing well on the battlefield but still have not won the war. We have lost about 2 million Kenyans due to AIDS-related illnesses since 1984 and there is need to recommit to care and support the 1.4 million Kenyans who are currently living with the virus,” Bosire said.
Bosire stated that since the first case of HIV was detected in 1984, the country has made significant strides towards ending this epidemic, with prevalence falling from highs of 10 per cent in the 1990s to the current 3.7 per cent.
He also said the number of new infections has reduced from over 200,000 to 22,000 last year while deaths have decreased to about 18,000 last year.
“We are not complacent about these gains because we know they are fragile and we are concerned about certain trends we have seen in some populations. We are concerned about the disproportionately large number of new infections among adolescent girls and young women. We are concerned about the disproportionately larger number of women who are living with the virus as opposed to men and about the pro rata number of men who are dying as opposed to women,” he said.
And added: “So we have come up with a dialogue particularly to address issues of new HIV infections among young people because we have noticed there is a nexus of drivers that are soaring up these incidences of new infections."
In July, he said the NSDCC signed a commitment with religious leaders of playing their role in ending new HIV infections including addressing the issues of stigma in their places of worship and to their congregants.
“These are the approaches that we are pursuing and we are also talking to the cultural and traditional leaders such that in every small baraza the issue of ending HIV can be discussed openly. When we discriminate, we might be doing it to ourselves not knowing that we are also infected and affected.”
