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| County Government of Nyeri through the Department of Health |
The County Government of Nyeri through the Department of Health has conducted its 3rd quarter evaluation forum on its hits and misses in the war against HIV/AIDS prevalence.
The quarterly review is a proactive tool geared towards HIV care, ensuring better patient outcomes and delivery of efficient healthcare to the affected.
The review, which brought several health stakeholders on board, highlighted a number of key benefits, including timely identification of trends in patient outcomes, improved adherence to medication, enhanced care coordination, data-driven decision-making, and quality improvement initiatives.
During the one-day workshop held in Nyeri over the weekend significant positive outputs in HIV Care Indicators were also noted across all cohorts, a testament to the multidisciplinary approach and seamless partnership in HIV care within the County.
Martin Kamau, the County Health Records Information Officer (HRIO) hailed the positive steps so far attained in HIV management in the county and emphasized on the need for a multipronged approach involving additional stakeholders in coming up with measures to combat the spread of the pandemic.
“We greatly appreciate the dedication and hard work of all our partners and healthcare providers. Your commitment to improving HIV care in Nyeri County is truly making a difference in the lives of our people. This ongoing collaboration and focus on quality care continue to be the foundation of our success in the fight against HIV/AIDS.” remarked Martin Kamau.
The implementation of this critical program is being supported by among others Liverpool VCT Dhibiti, Nyeri Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), and Health Options for Young Men on HIV/AIDS/STI (HOYMAS).
The partners have been instrumental in providing HIV Testing and Counselling, as well as treatment and linkage services for HIV clients.
Christine Mumbi, an officer from the Department of Health also reiterated the critical role in partnership in addressing HIV management in the county terming the cooperation critical.
She said the war against the spread of the disease cannot be on from a single front but demands all hands on deck for the program to be a success.
“The role of stakeholders in addressing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the county can never be underscored as it leaves impactful footprints in the management of this disease by all the implementing partners. I’m looking forward to more insightful forums, where critical informed decisions are born.” she pointed out.
Statistics from the Kenya Health Information Services (KHIS) show HIV prevalence in 2022 among adolescents aged between 10-19 years in Nyeri stood at 32 per cent.
In addition, HIV prevalence rates among those aged between 15-24 stood at 44 per cent of all the new infections in the country the same year.
In November last year National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) Chair, Geoffrey Gitu termed the challenge of teenage pregnancies, the spread of HIV and sexual and gender based violence among young men and women a real threat in the county.
He said Nyeri ranks among counties where teenage pregnancies are on an upward trajectory and the Government was committed to ensuring this trend is reversed through community based sensitization approach such as employing the services of Community Health Promoters (CHP)
“Teenage pregnancies in Nyeri are quite high and statistics are showing there is a seven per cent increase in early teenage pregnancy. This is why as an institution we are pushing this Triple Threat on to various places and not limited to Nyeri. We have so far visited Meru, Murang’a and Homa Bay and so Nyeri is not the only unique place that is having these issues,” he said.
On HIV prevalence among adolescents, Gitu blamed ignorance among the young for the soaring new numbers.
He said while HIV/AIDS remains one of the country’s top health concerns, many young people appear less keen in protecting themselves against the disease.
“One of the things we have realized is that young people are no longer afraid of contracting HIV but only scared of becoming pregnant. You will find that they will easily buy contraceptives rather than a condom which is also being issued free by the Government. We are also addressing cases of sodomy and homosexual practices and prostitution which have become an issue in Nyeri,” he added.
Currently, there are 1.4 million people living with HIV in Kenya with 200,000 of them out of antiretroviral treatment.
Njoroge urged those not on treatments to urgently seek necessary medical intervention to ensure the country wins the war against the virus that has killed more than 40 million people globally.
By Samuel Maina