Ajabu Africa News

PHOTO:

Primary school headteachers attending an annual conference at the Sheikh Zayed Children’s Welfare Centre in Mombasa on August 8, 2016. About 180,000 adolescents in schools are HIV-positive, Education Assistant Director Margaret Mwirigi told the conference. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By:

HaRRISON MAINA

Posted:

Aug,10-2016 13:49:39

About 180,000 adolescents in Kenyan schools are HIV-positive, the government said on Tuesday.

Of these, 75,600 were not accessing ARVs, Education Ministry Assistant Director Margaret Mwirigi said.

National Aids Control Council (NACC) official Celestine Mugambi said 14 teenagers die daily of HIV complications while 98 are infected.

"These are your students. By the end of this conference almost 500 would have died," she said.

She added that few adolescents are being tested for HIV as parents assume that their children are not engaging in early sex and are not infected with the virus.

She further added that adolescents and youth account for 1.8 million pregnancies every year.

"There are low testing rates among adolescents, with only 46 per cent of females and 58 per cent of males [being] tested for HIV," Ms Mugambi said.

She said there is still a need promote greater awareness of HIV as only 58 per cent of those affected know issues regarding HIV and how to prevent it.

"Risky behaviours are difficult to change while many people have unanswered questions on HIV with no one to inform them," she said.

However, she said investments and advocacy in the HIV response have increased.

She said NACC has a two-year plan to reduce new student infections by 40 per cent.

"We want to reduce Aids-related deaths by 20 per cent and reduce stigma and discrimination by 20 per cent," she said.

The two made separate remarks during the ongoing primary school headteachers' meeting at the Sheikh Zayed Children's Welfare Centre in Mombasa.

Over 10,000 headteachers are attending the meeting.

Source:

AJABU AFRICAN NEWS