Newborns with HIV on increase in Wajir

Wajir county plans to reduce transmission of HIV from mothers who are positive to their newborns.

"This worrying trend cannot be left to continue like that," Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi said on Monday in a speech read on his behalf by County Secretary Abdullahi Hassan.

Hassan presided over the launch of the Wajir county Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (EMTCT) plan 2019-2022.

"This situation should worry each of us. We all recognise HIV-Aids as a health and socio-economic burden. It cannot be that in this day and age instead of the numbers going downwards they are going upwards. We all have to work extra hard to make our county HIV-free,” he said.

Abdi said his administration will strengthen advocacy and coordination of EMTCT of HIV and syphilis, provide equitable quality health services, increased access to HIV-related service and capacity-building of staff."

The Health department reports that 1.8 per cent and 1.5 per cent of pregnant women tested positive for HIV and syphilis, respectively, slightly higher than in previous years.

Statistics also show that in 2018, 72 new clients tested positive for HIV, including 12 pregnant mothers 

Chief of Health Ahmed Omar said 12 HIV-exposed infants received early diagnosis and Antiretroviral therapy (ART). The county has 351 patients on chronic HIV care.

Omar said the county has made great progress in increasing community engagement to arrest the problem.

He said the biggest problem is that most of the expectant mothers, especially in rural areas, don’t go for pre-natal checks and do not deliver in health facilities.

“If that woman missed all the interventions from the time she became pregnant to the time she delivered, that means the child in the womb is already infected," Omar said.

The detailed work plan aims to elimination mother to child transmission through awareness, encouraging pre-natal checkups, interventions and delivery in health facilities.

(Edited by V. Graham)