As Kenyans mark the World Aids day celebration across the country, grim statistics about the spread of the pandemic have emerged.
And in Lugari Sub-County, the rise of HIV/AIDS infections is at an alarming rate especially among the youths between 15 -24 years.
According to the officer in-charge of committee fighting HIV aids in Lugari Ms. Caroline Wachira, new infections among the youths aged 15-24 has been reported topped at 42 per cent with overall Sub-County percentage of new infections dropping to 3.7 per cent.
Wachira however insists that there were multiple challenges facing war against the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Sub-County, urging the stakeholders not to stop until the war is won.
At the same time, residents of Chimoi area within Lugari Sub-County have blamed long distance truck drivers for accelerating the spread of HIV/AIDS in their area through encouragement of unprotected sex life especially with the young girls.
The residents say the long distance heavy truck drivers enticed young girls with money so that they could have unprotected sex placing them at higher risk of infection.
And in Samburu County, the infection rates are still high as records indicated that at least 2, 500 have tested positive to the disease in the year 2022.
County Aids and STI coordinator Mr Bosco Lemarkat however expressed fears that most of those affected were in rural areas and could not access health services.
Meanwhile, in Mandera County, the CEC Health Dr. Mohamud Eda said the county prevalence rates had reduced from a high of 1.7% in the year 2013 to about 0.3% in 2021, with annual incidence reducing from 121 in 2013 to 56 cases in 2021.
He said at least 30 per cent of the 841 people are living with the disease in the County had enlisted for treatment and were in regular drugs.
Source: Kenya News Agency