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Married men more prone to Aids

Health & Science

By Ernest Ndunda

Mombasa, Kenya: Older married men have been warned to keep their zip up since they are most likely to acquire HIV/Aids, a new survey at the Coast shows.

These men are also the most likely to infect young women with the virus since they are involved in trans-generational and unprotected sex.

The survey shows 8.3 per cent (or 58,100 people) of Mombasa County’s 939,370 people are infected with the Aids causing virus with 1,900 dying annually or 5 deaths daily. In terms of treatment, the report shows 28,900 children and adults require anti-retroviral drugs but only 85 per cent are on treatment.

Last year 3,100 adults and 360 children contracted the virus according to the research done by the National Aids Control Council (NACC).

To prevent mother to child infection, 2,507 adults in the county have been on preventive medicine of the about 3,100 who risk infecting their babies.

Experts now say the prevalence of Aids in the region is twice the rate for the entire Coast. The shocking survey shows men aged between 40-44 years have been contributing to the highest number of people at risk of contracting and transmitting the virus.

The survey shows men of the said age bracket contribute to 10 per cent of the new HIV/Aids cases reported while eight per cent is from older men aged between 50-54.

Poverty has been given as the root cause of the trans-generational and unprotected sex. However, the report shows the HIV/Aids prevalence among the older women and young men has declined compared to previous surveys.

Early menopause

This decline is attributed to the fear of young men being intimidated by older women. Also early menopause among women is said to be another contributing factor.

This report was released Wednesday during the NACC stakeholders meeting for Mombasa County, NGOs involved in HIV/Aids, STDs and Drug Abuse campaigns at the Castle Hotel.

Dr Consolata Oggot who is the Coast Provincial Aids/STI Coordinator said older men preferred young girls aged between 15 and 24 years for trans generational and unprotected sex as they were desperate of money and needed to live a luxurious life.

“Girls aged between 15-24 years contribute 10 per cent of the new cases of persons at risk of contracting the HIV/Aids virus,” said Oggot.

Ogott said 58,100 are living with the virus, where 7,400 are children aged between 0-14 years.

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