Youths aged 15 to 24 years are the ones contributing to the highest to new HIV/AIDS infections, the National Aids Control Council has said.
The NACC said out of the 52,000 deaths caused by HIV/AIDS in 2017, 17,000 were youths.
The council's deputy director John Kimigwi said the teenage pregnancies reported in Kilifi five months ago have increased to 17,850 from 13,000.
He said this number is alarming and contributes to the spread of HIV and AIDS in the county that is ranked among those with high poverty levels.
“In the country, we are going on with the war against HIV, but we still have challenges,’’ he said.
Kimigwi spoke during the International Condom Day held outside Pwani University on Wednesday.
The event was also attended by Kilifi executive member for Gender, Culture and Youth Affairs Maureen Mwangovya.
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Also present were the king and queen of condom in Kenya who demonstrated how to use condoms.
The deputy director said there is need to lay out a strategy of reaching the youth so as to reduce the spread of HIV.
“We need to come together to lay strategies to help youths below 24 years so that their life and health is good,’’ Kimigwi said.
The CEC said the new statistics on teenage pregnancies was alarming as it was a clear indication that youths are engaging in unprotected sex.
She said if action is not taken in the next five years the number would destroy the young generation.
“It’s important to take a step to reduce the teenage pregnancy because youths between 15 to 19 years have increasingly been getting HIV AIDS,’’ she said.
In Kilifi, she said HIV/AIDS among youths is at 38 per cent and the majority of those affected are girls.
Thousands of condoms were also distributed in the area.
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