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A new report shows that young women aged 15 to 24 have the highest risk of contracting HIV.
The 2018 progress report on the AIDS response in Kenya shows that out of 44,800 new HIV infections, 14,933 cases – nearly a third – were recorded in this age group.
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The report of the National AIDS Council, due to be released today, shows that there were 17,700 new HIV infections among men and women aged 15 to 24 years.
This shows that for every man aged 15 to 24 who gets the virus, there are at least five infected women in the same age group.
This could explain why 864,600 women over the age of 15 are living with HIV, compared to 523,600 men, according to the report.
However, more people died of AIDS-related complications last year with 13,800 deaths compared to 10,100 women.
The report also notes that there were 2,830 AIDS-related deaths in the 15-24 age group.
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About 54% of these deaths occurred in nine of the 47 counties, namely Nairobi (294), Homa Bay (246), Siaya (248), Kisumu (216), Migori (152), Kakamega (126), Nakuru ( 108), Busia (92) and Mombasa (79), "says the report.
According to the report, the 28,200 AIDS-related deaths recorded last year represent a 48% reduction from 2010, when they were 53,900.
"This decline is directly attributable to the broader access to antiretroviral therapy (ARV) made possible by the deployment of free ART in 2003 and the ability of the national AIDS and STI program to cover HIV and AIDS treatment needs, co-infections and providing care services, "says the report.
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The report also indicates that the 17,700 new infections among men and women aged 15 to 24 represent a 38% reduction compared to 2010, when they were 28,800.
"HIV infections among 15-24-year-olds are concentrated in the high-prevalence counties of Nairobi (2,587), Homa Bay (1,852), Siaya (1,641), Kisumu (1,630), Migori (1 143), Kiambu (730). Kakamega (596) and Mombasa (562), which contributed to 61% of new infections in 2017, "the report adds.
And of the 52,800 HIV-positive people last year, 8,000 were children under 14, 27,200 were women over the age of 15, and 17,600 were men.
The report indicates that the current prevalence rate of the virus in the country stands at 4.9% according to the figures of last year, the prevalence being higher among women (5.2%) than in men (4.5%).
"These new estimates confirm a decline in the prevalence of HIV among men and women at the national and departmental levels," reads the report.
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