Women In Kenya Lead In New HIV Infections, Disease Control Council

• Kenya joined the rest of the world in marking World Aids day, with the country recording an overall reduction in new infections
• The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council ( NSDCC) reported that 12,558 new women HIV infections have been recorded compared to 5,122 in men
• Access to medication improved as the number of people living with HIV but on medication has risen from 656,359 in 2013 to 1,294,399 in 2023

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi - The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council ( NSDCC) has shown that Kenyan women account for most new HIV/AIDS infections.

According to the NSDCC survey, 12,558 new women HIV infections have been recorded compared to 5,122 in men.

A total of 4,474 children aged between zero to 14 years accounted for new HIV infections.

However, the country has made considerable strides in the last 10 years, recording a considerable decline in AIDS-related deaths from 58,446 to 18, 743.

The report indicates 66% of new HIV infections occur in 15 counties, including Nairobi, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Nakuru, Siaya, Migori, Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, Kajiado, Narok, Mombasa, Kisii, Trans Nzoi Machakos and Busia.

Wajir has the lowest HIV prevalence in the country at 0.1%, a commendable fete for the North Eastern county.

How does Kenya rank globally

The survey further showed that Kenya sits 7th highest epidemic globally, recording 1,377, 784 people living with HIV.

South Africa, India, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia have the highest epidemic while Uganda comes in 8th after Kenya.

NSDCC showed the number of Kenyans living with the virus dropped in 2023, with the national HIV prevalence at 3.7%; women at 5.3%, and men at 2.6%.

Access to medication has also improved over the years as the number of people living with HIV but on medication has risen from 656,359 in 2013 to 1,294,399 in 2023.

Lukoye gives his take on HIV prevalence

Earlier, Lukoye Atwoli, the dean at Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa, attributed the spread of the virus to redundant African cultures.

Lukoye, the son of Trade Unionist Francis Atwoli, regretted that the practices we call African at the moment were completely alien to what Africans used to do, thanks to colonisation.

For instance, Lukoye said in the past, when a woman was widowed, society could come together to give her a social support network, but presently, they are inherited by men.

"At the moment, when a lady is widowed, we say this woman is beautiful, I'm going to have sex with her, that might not have been the entire purpose of that cultural situation," said Lukoye.