Three out of ten teenagers [persons aged between 13 and 19] in Kenya have no idea that having unprotected sex once can result in pregnancy, a report by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) shows.
The report further showed that 2 out of 10 respondents engaged in sex for the first time while aged below 13 years. Seven out of 10 respondents said their first time sexual experience came while aged above 13, with 1 out of 10 saying they couldn’t remember the age they were when they had sex for the first time.
Out of the 1, 141 teen respondents drawn from seven schools in Nairobi and Kiambu Counties, 33 percent do not know that a one-time unprotected sexual encounter can result in a pregnancy. That figure translates to three out of ten teenagers.
Unsafe sex is ranked second among the top ten risk factors to health in terms of the burden of disease they cause. HIV/AIDS is the reason unsafe sex ranks so high.
Despite falling prevalence rates in some countries and advances made in treatment and care, the global HIV/AIDS epidemic continues.
AIDS has taken more than 20 million lives in 20 years and in the worst affected countries is now beginning to erode key sectors, reverse economic development and jeopardize national security.
More than 40 million people are currently infected, 95% of them in the developing world and half of them younger than 25 years of age.
It is estimated that, in the absence, a massive scaling up of current efforts, another 45 million people will be infected with the human immunodeficiency virus by 2010. Up to 30 million more will have died.
Providing treatment and care is the primary responsibility of the health sector. It is estimated that only 300,000 people are currently using antiretroviral treatments in developing countries.
Expanding access to these drugs is a high priority for WHO because it will not only improve the lives of millions of people living with HIV/AIDS but also contribute to a more effective overall response.
Efforts to enable wider access to treatment include strengthening and integrating services which are seen as key entry points to the health system, such as reproductive and child health services, HIV testing and counseling, and treatment for TB and STIs.