A New report indicates that at least four teenagers aged between 10 to 19 years are contacting HIV weekly in Uasin Gishu County.
This is a 16 percent increase from 158 in 2015 to 184 this year in the number of new HIV infection among adolescent.
In the same breath, new HIV infections among youth between ages 15 to 24 has increased by 40 percent in the county as reported by The Star.
This is despite a reduction of 49 percent of Aids-related deaths among adolescents being reported in the county between 2015 and 2022.
Turbo and Kapseret sub counties contributed to 50 per cent of the adolescent new HIV infections in the county in 2022, the report further stated.
Dr. Evans Kiprotich, acting county chief officer of health said new HIV infection among adolescents is also directly related to the high number of adolescent pregnancies in the county.
‘The rate at which adolescent pregnancies are being reported in our clinics, which is correlated to the new HIV prevalence,’ said Kiprotich
He said children are becoming irresponsible adding that last year 500 children, less than 14 years, who were not supposed to be pregnant, reported in health clinics with pregnancy.
This was revealed on Thursday during a sensitization of community gatekeepers and opinion leaders on the elimination of new HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies, and sexual gender-based violence in Eldoret.
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