Sex education key for HIV prevention among teenagers, experts say

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According to Bosire, the country is at a point of demographic transition of HIV transition from the older population to the younger population.

"We are seeing a trend that is not encouraging. This trend threatens gains made by an emergency of a disproportionately large number of infections among adolescents and young persons," said Bosire.

Ministry's data of 2023, the country reported 22,154 new HIV infections, out of which 41 per cent occurred among young persons aged between 15 and 24 years.

In the same year, we had about 3, 200 children aged between 10 and 19 years getting infected with the virus.

"When these children get infected with the virus at an early age, yet they are supposed to be in school, grow to be productive Kenya's, we lose demographic dividends of the young population as a country," said the official.

He added, "We are worried when we look at the syndemic factors that drive up the cases, we find that there are indicators which are showing that young children are engaging in unprotected sex more than they were doing before,"

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga with National Syedemic Disease Control Council CEO Dr Ruth Masha during a high-level experiential visit on ending the triple threat. [Mercy Kahenda, Standard]

Homa Bay County Health Executive Roselyne Omolo said three out of 100 girls in the county are either infected or affected by either early pregnancies, sexually abused or infected with HIV, while some suffer the three.

"The picture (triple threat) is really grim, but the biggest worry is this menace seems to be cyclical, you find a 13-year-old girl has a baby.

Six months ago, we did a small study in Ndhiwa and realised that there were women who were great-grandmothers at 39 years old. That means they had a baby at a very tender age, and that baby too could have had a baby, what one would call traditionally a curse when something happens in a community or family repeatedly," Omolo said with an emotional feeling.

She attributed cases of triple threat reported in the county to high poverty levels.

As mitigation, she said the county is helping girls who got unwanted pregnancies admitted back to school, whereas those at risk are being trained on responsive sexual behaviours.

15.2 per cent and adherence is 70 per cent, good number of people tested are on ARVS. Mother-to-child HIV prevention stands at 5.3 per cent against 8.6 per cent nationally.

Kenya is leading end to triple threat in children with support from respective United Nations (UN) agencies.

The three-year program is set to be launched officially in Homa Bay County, where the agencies will get time to interact with girls and young women faced with the tragedy.

New HIV infections in adolescents and young adults are reported at a time Kenya is expected to be fund HIV programs, as donor funding comes to an end by 2027.

HIV is among programs heavily funded by donor, with Sh25 billion spent annually on ARVs.

"This (infections) is happening amidst financing transition from donor support to a country-sustained response. If we have to move, we have to close the tap, the tap are new infections," observed Bosire.

Meanwhile, NSDCC is coming up with a program to engage men and boys as strategic of change because they are decision-makers in society.