This archive report was first published on 2 December 2019.
On World Aids Day, December 1, 2019, a stark reality emerged from newly released data: young women in Kenya are disproportionately affected by HIV, with new infections among this age group more than double those among young men.
According to the World Aids report 2019 by UNAids, released ahead of the World Aids Day, only 59 percent of women and men aged 15 to 24 correctly identified ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki acknowledged that structural, economic, and cultural barriers in accessing healthcare have hindered Kenya's progress towards an Aids-free society.
However, she expressed optimism that Kenya could still reach the ambitious 90-90-90 treatment target by 2020, which envisions that 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their status, 90 percent of those who know their status will be on treatment, and 90 percent of those on treatment will have suppressed viral loads.
Ms Angeline Siparo, National Aids Control Council (NACC) board chairperson, attributed the disproportionate impact of HIV on women and adolescent girls to vulnerabilities created by unequal cultural, social, and economic status.
She noted that women's biological susceptibility, coupled with cultural and economic factors, makes them a vulnerable group compared to their male counterparts.
Ms Siparo also highlighted that poorer populations are more susceptible to HIV due to desperation, which can lead to accepting situations that compromise their health.
The UNAids report showed that in 2018, 89 percent of Kenyans living with HIV knew their status, and 68 percent of people living with HIV were on treatment.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki attributed the progress to collective efforts and sound investments in the HIV response and the health sector.
