Town records drop in HIV infections rate

Cases of HIV infection among pregnant mothers in Naivasha have dropped significantly in the last one year.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, in 2013, 3.3 per cent of mothers who visited the sub-country referral hospital tested HIV positive.

But the numbers, according to Naivasha Sub-county Medical Officer Oren Ombiro, had dropped to 2.9 per cent in 2014.

Speaking in his office yesterday, Dr Ombiro attributed the drop to increased public awareness adding that the prevalence in the sub-county stands at 3.8 per cent.

"Every pregnant woman has to be tested for HIV and our public awareness has seen the number of infected mothers drop," he said.

The officer said they were working with other stakeholders to ensure the figures are further brought down.

At the same time, Ombiro noted that the number of children with rickets in the town were on the rise. He said 70 per cent of rickets cases were coming from the illegal childcare centers that are mainly located in informal estates.