• Mwabili said most adolescents fall into the trap due to peer pressure.
• Drugs and substance abuse, she said, have contributed to the rising infection among the youth.
Image: SOLOMON MUINGI
Youth and adolescents in Taita Taveta account for the largest number of people living with HIV-Aids in the county.
This is according to the latest report by the county’s department of health.
County Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infection coordinator Charity Mwabili said the impact of HIV continues to be felt across the entire socioeconomic spectrum in the county.
She spoke during the semi-annual data review on the assessment of the indicators of HIV.
By 2020, Mwabili said the health department had cumulatively recorded 8,875 HIV cases, with 5,000 accounting for people aged 15 years and above. The rest were below 15 years. At the time, the prevalence was 3.4 per cent.
Mwabili said from January to November 2020, the number of HIV infection recorded were 764. Out of that number, 699 were aged between 10 and 24 years.
"The worrying trend has been attributed to the fact that the age bracket is affected by behavioural change and some have a tendency to experiment," she said on Tuesday.
Mwabili said most adolescents fall into the trap due to peer pressure.
Drugs and substance abuse, she said, have contributed to the rising infection among the youth.
"Some are alcoholics, while others use drugs such as bhang and khat chewing. Some of them end up engaging in unprotected sex," Mwabili said.
USAID Stawisha Pwani chief of party Dr Patrick Oyaro said shortage of condoms in the country has also contributed to the current prevalence.
He said the shortage has led to unwanted pregnancies.
"This is something we need to push for as it is the oldest method that has been in use to prevent infection. The shortage is worrying," Oyaro said.
He urged stakeholders to join hands to fight the virus in the county.
Over the years, the existence of main roads and highways such as the Mombasa-Nairobi highway and Voi-Arusha road that pass through the county have been attributed to the high prevalence.
Taita Taveta County HIV-Aids Strategic Plan 2016-2020 notes that the rise in the number of migrant populations and long-distance truck drivers in the area result in increased sex work.
“Such features and infrastructure result in the movement of people in and out of the region. It is this movement that increases HIV vulnerability and risks,” the report reads.