Nyeri records a drop in HIV infections, holds awareness programme against triple threat
Community health promoters follow proceedings during a public participation hearing over the proposed Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) in Nyeri town on February 8, 2024. The county achieved its lowest recorded rate of new HIV infections at 3 percent.
Nyeri County has recorded a 2.2 per cent decline in the prevalence of new HIV infections over the past six years.
Last year, the county recorded its lowest rate of new HIV infections at 3 percent with a majority of the HIV positive patients aged 25 years and above.
Speaking during a public awareness programme on the prevalence of the triple threat of HIV infection, gender-based violence and adolescent pregnancy, County Health Services Director Nelson Muriu said in 2018, the county had one of the highest rates in the region at 5.2 percent, which then dropped to 4.3 percent by 2021.
"In 2023, we had only 986 new infections out of a total of 19,250 patients currently living with HIV. The majority of those affected were aged 25 years and above," said Dr Muriu.
However, he noted that the country still faces a double burden due to the high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which complicates matters as most HIV patients are also battling chronic illnesses.
Teenage pregnancy
Addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy, he noted a worrying trend in the county's efforts to tackle the triple threat. He pointed out that 1,563 cases of teenage pregnancy were recorded last year, indicating a gap in the fight against the triple threat.
As a result, he said, the county had begun collaborating with the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), the police and the judiciary to conduct community awareness campaigns.
The initiatives include educating communities on the importance of vaccinating their daughters against HPV - which is also prevalent in the region, even as county statistics show that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer after breast cancer in terms of number of cases and mortality.
"This is why the county has successfully vaccinated 71 per cent of girls between the ages of 14 and 18 as part of its preventive measures," he said.
The event also saw Community Health Promoters and Community Leaders participating in a public consultation on the proposed Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), with NSDCC Chief Executive Officer Ruth Masha urging the public to take advantage of the new health fund, noting that screening services for HPV will be paid for through the Primary Health Care Fund.
She said the proposed fund will ensure that no one skips the hospital due to lack of funds.
"The insurance fund aims to ensure equity - one will be required to contribute to the insurance fund according to their financial capacity, with the lowest amount allowed being Sh300," she said, stressing that the contribution would not affect the quality of services provided.
During the meeting, some community leaders raised concerns about the Sh300 fee for obtaining a P3 form, noting that many people, especially victims of gender-based violence, could not afford it.
The government organisation promised to review the regulation to address this concern.
