Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched a campaign to scale up the fight against HIV and Aids among adolescents as infections and deaths among this group record a dramatic increase.
Worrying statistics show that one adolescent is infected with HIV every two minutes, with almost a third of new infections of HIV in Kenya occurring among adolescents.
“We can no longer afford to ignore the high rate of HIV infections among our adolescents. We need to work together to protect them,” said the President at the launch of the ‘All in Campaign to End Adolescent Aids’ at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi yesterday.
The President promised to commit more funding from the Treasury to fight HIV and Aids among teens. “We need to address the issues that make teens vulnerable to HIV and Aids. Those already living with the condition need treatment and support,” he said.
He called on the ministries of Health and Education to ensure that school children living with the disease received treatment and were protected from stigma from fellow students and teachers.
This came after the President heard that almost half of the 141,608 adolescents living with Aids in Kenya do not have access to anti-retroviral treatment.
Eleven-year-old Elijah Zachary, who was born with the virus, captured the attention of the audience with a moving story of how he has faced discrimination from his peers in school as well as from teachers.
“Children and teens living with HIV and Aids need maximum support and care from parents and teachers for them to live quality and happy lives,” he said.
Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said without tackling HIV and Aids among adolescents, it would be difficult to defeat the scourge. Mr Macharia called for more funding from the Government and development partners to empower adolescents in terms of prevention, screening, education and treatment.
Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri said Aids was the leading cause of death among adolescents in Africa and the second highest killer globally in the same demographic.
The campaign brings together governments, United Nations organisations and civil society groups in Kenya and across the country. US Ambassador Robert Godec said his country was ready to offer financial and technical support to enhance the fight against Aids among adolescents.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join