The government is spending Sh25 billion to manage HIV patients annually, Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi has said.
She said the funds are used in the provision of commodities necessary for the prevention of infection to those recently exposed and in the management of the disease to those already infected.
Mwangangi spoke on Friday during the launch of mass Covid-19 vaccinations in the county.
Even more concerning, she said, is that 17 per cent of new infections in the country are among young people aged between 10 and 19.
The number of children and adolescents put on post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) stands at 5,890 of which 236 acquired HIV.
The cost of first-line drugs for children and adolescents is Sh19,228 per child per year, she said, while adults require Sh22,700 annually to manage the illness.
“The drugs enable the patients to live full and normal lives but they are very expensive and doctors are yet to find a cure so they have to take the drugs,” Mwangangi said.
She called on stakeholders to make concerted efforts to stop new infections, especially among young adults.
She underscored the need for parents to counsel their children about reproductive health and the negative consequences of engaging in early sex.
According to her, many parents neglect their role of talking to their children about premarital sex and leave them to learn from the community and social media.
In Murang’a county, Mwangangi said HIV infections among adolescents have reduced from 73 per cent in 2016 to 37 per cent in 2021.
The county, however, lost 29 adolescents to HIV-related illnesses which Mwangangi said should be a wake-up call to stakeholders.
However, she noted that gender-based violence against adolescents increased by 85 per cent between 2016 and 2021.
“This is worrying. This is data that should cause us sleepless nights. We need to protect our children better,” she said.
The Chief Administrative Secretary also urged residents to vote for a leadership that will streamline the delivery of services for the next five years.
Politics, she said, cannot be separated from health matters and Kenyans need to vote wisely.
She cited Murang’a referral hospital that she said has 225 beds compared to Kisumu's which has more than 1,000.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
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