This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
Kenya's HIV Hotspots: Eight Counties Account for 50% of New Infections ¶
As Kenya prepares to mark World AIDS Day on December 1, a recent report by the National AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Programme (Nascop) has highlighted eight counties that account for 50% of all new HIV infections.
The six counties in Western and Nyanza regions with the highest rates of new infections are Homa Bay (700 cases), Siaya (620), Kisumu (616), Kakamega (437), Migori (432), and Busia (318). Nairobi County recorded 660 new cases, while Nakuru County topped the list in the Rift Valley region with 325 new cases.
According to the report, all new HIV infections occur among adolescents and young people aged 15-24 years. The report was tabled during the recent Kenya Science Journalists Congress in Mombasa, which was attended by over 100 science journalists and experts from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Malawi.
The Nascop report also revealed that at least 10 counties had the lowest cases of new infections, with Wajir County having the lowest rate with six cases. Other counties with minimal cases were Tana River (13), Lamu and Marsabit (16), Mandera and Isiolo (19), Samburu (20), Elgeyo Marakwet (31), Kirinyaga (34), and Nyandarua (38).
Additionally, the report highlighted that arid and semi-arid counties collectively contributed 25% of all new HIV infections in children. The ASAL counties include Kilifi (197 new infections), Machakos (185), Kitui (176), Kajiado (163), Turkana (152), Makueni (151), Meru (147), Narok (120), Kwale (115), Embu (66), Laikipia and Taita Taveta (61 each), Garissa (55), Tharaka Nithi (52), Nyeri (51), West Pokot and Baringo (39 each).
The current mother-to-child transmission of HIV stands at 12.4%, with the government's universal health coverage by 2022 and Vision 2030 aiming to reduce HIV infections to 8.5%.
