NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 3 – No county in Kenya met the mother-to-child transmission rate validity target of less than 5 per cent in 2023 amid rising cases of children infected with HIV.
The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) made the assessemnt in a report published on Monday which also reveal that five counties reported rates above 20 per cent.
The counties include Wajir (33.5 per cent), Mandera (26.9 per cent), Samburu (26.8 per cent), West Pokot (21.2 per cent), and Isiolo (20.9 per cent).
“Seven counties had mother-to-child transmission rates lower than the national average, with Migori, Kisumu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Siaya, and Nairobi achieving the lowest rates of under 7 per cent,” the report noted.
The report also highlighted that, over the last decade, the HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate had declined from 14 per cent to 7.3 per cent. However, this remains above the 5 per cent target set for 2023.
The report further revealed a drop in antenatal care (ANC) attendance, which fell from 96 per cent in 2021 to 88 per cent in 2023.
Only ten counties achieved more than 95 percent ANC coverage in 2023, including Isiolo, Turkana, Kajiado, Tana River, Lamu, West Pokot, Kirinyaga, Nairobi, Siaya, and Kiambu.
6 in 10 infections linked to MTCT
The NSDCC also reported that 63 per cent of new HIV infections among infants were due to mother-to-child transmission, linked to non-use or discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
In the same period, 3,743 new HIV infections were recorded among children under the age of four, with 2,607 children under the age of 14 succumbing to the virus.
Of the estimated new infections, 37.7 per cent were attributed to mothers discontinuing ART, while 25.5 per cent resulted from mothers not receiving ART at all.
The report also disclosed that men accounted for 48 per cent (9,808) of HIV-related deaths, despite comprising only 35 per cent of the infected population.
An estimated 61 per cent of AIDS-related deaths among adult men aged 15 years and above occurred in the 35–54 age group in 2023.
While ART initiation among boys and men remains sub-optimal, the report noted a positive trajectory from 2020 to 2023.
In 2023, a total of 29,337 boys and men began ART, out of 32,722 men who tested positive for HIV during the same period.
“Although the proportion of men aged 15 years and above initiating ART has increased from 81 per cent in 2020 to 90 percent in 2023, this population group has yet to reach the 95 per cent UNAIDS target,” the report stated.
The country achieved identification and treatment targets of 97 per cent in 2023, with a viral suppression rate of 94 per cent.
However, young people aged 20–24 years continue to lag in accessing treatment for the virus.
The report also noted that the number of people living with HIV and using ART increased to 1,336,681 in 2023, up from 656,369 in 2013.
To curb the spread of HIV in the country, the report recommends establishing sustainable platforms to bridge knowledge gaps among young people.
Source: capitalfm
