HIV & AIDS researchers have reported a breakthrough in reaching Kenya’s most hidden gay men as the World marked World Aids Day.
The researchers have ruled out the wide spread of HIV & AIDS among gay couples and teenagers in Kilifi County.
The high rate has shocked County health officials, Kilifi County Executive Committee (CEC) member for health Anisa Omar said that one in four gays is infected with HIV and the numbers continue to rise despite measures to curb new infections.
Nineteen percent of new HIV infections were recorded among teenagers between the age of 16 and 25 years.
Dr. Omar added that they are distributing lubricants and condoms to the residents as a preventive measure.
“We are issuing them with lubricants and condoms but most of them due to influence on drugs they continue to have unprotected sex and for our teenagers they just engage in raw sex oblivious of the consequences,” she said.
The final report prepared by Nascop and a private NGO, Partners for Health and Development in Africa (PHDA), says this is a major breakthrough in HIV control. It is estimated that there are about are 19,175 MSM in Kenya.
The HIV prevalence in this group, at 18.2 per cent, is three times higher than in the general population. Nascop says this presents a serious risk in the spread of the disease. Traditionally, the new report says Kenya’s MSMs have been meeting their clients in a variety of ‘brick and mortar’ hot spots.