Casual attitude towards sex to blame for HIV rise: Nacc

More young Kenyans could end up being infected with HIV due to the prolonged closure of schools over Covid-19 pandemic fears.

Concerns are rising in official circles over the risk of HIV prevalence rising among teenagers and other young adults due to their long stay at home.

Kenya's HIV prevalence rate is currently estimated at 4.9 per cent.

Speaking to HealthyNation, National Aids Control Council (Nacc) head Catherine Ngugi expressed worry about a possible slowdown in the country's campaign to control the virus.

"At the beginning of the year, the prevalence rate had been reduced to 10.8 per cent, but the pandemic hampered our efforts to make further reductions. This slowdown was driven by the closure of schools that confined adolescents at home and increasingly exposed them to sexual activity and infection," said Dr Ngugi.

Unborn babies

Dr Ngugi said the data on increased teenage pregnancy in some counties was an indicator that more girls were engaging in unprotected sex. "This comes with the double risk of getting pregnant," said Dr Ngugi.

She advised young adults and teenagers to visit public hospitals for antenatal clinics and maternity services, so that they are tested for HIV in addition to accessing other essential care. "Should they turn out HIV positive, we have drugs they can take to prevent transmission of the virus to their unborn babies," she said.

Sexual violence could also be a significant factor in the increased transmission of HIV in the country.  According to Nacc, a young people’s casual attitude towards sex was among the factors driving the rise in new infections.

"The reasons for the increase in HIV transmission include low risk perception and casual sex with many partners," said Nacc on its website.

Dr Ngugi said Nacc and the National Aids and STI Control Program were working with development partners and other departments in the Health ministry to ensure that pregnant girls and adults were getting tested for HIV to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

Additionally, the Nacc Strategic Framework Report of 2014 reported that 22 per cent of girls aged 15 to19 described their first sexual experience as forced.

Condom use central

Current data from the Nacc indicates that an estimated 1.5 million people have HIV, with approximately one million people on antiretroviral therapy. 

The main mode of HIV transmission is through sexual contact, which is responsible for up to 80 per cent of all HIV infections countrywide.

According to Nacc, a casual attitude towards sex on the part of young people was among the factors driving the rise in new infections.

The council believes that condoms are one of the main preventive measures in the country's fight to reduce and eventually stop the incidence of new infections.

"Condoms still remain central in HIV response because only when sustained viral suppression is confirmed and closely monitored, and the risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections and unintended pregnancy is low, will it be safe not to use a condom," says Nacc.