Wajir partners with NSDCC to fight HIV, teen pregnancy and GBV
Douglas Bosire, the acting CEO of NSDCC in Wajir.The Wajir government has partnered with the National Syndemic Disease Control Council to rollout a campaign to fight against the triple of HIV-Aids infection, teen pregnancies and gender-based violence.
NSDCC acting CEO Douglas Bosire said Wajir and other arid and semi-arid counties in the region are facing threats of new HIV infections.
Among the reasons that have contributed to the spread of HIV-Aids in the recent years are low levels of awareness due to cultural taboos around discussing sexuality, stigma and discrimination, and limited access to HIV testing, antiretroviral therapy and prevention services, especially in remote areas.
Bosire said while the government and donor partners have done well in the past four decades to reduce the rate of infection and scaling up treatments, the same is not the case in ASAL counties.
The counties include Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Garissa and Turkana.
“We concentrated on the high burden regions including Coast, Western, Nyanza and Nairobi and now we are witnessing cases of high transmission in ASALs counties, especially cases of child-to-mother transmission,” Bosire noted.
“The campaign to end the triple threat of GBV, HIV-Aids and adolescent pregnancies will reach subcounties in Wajir.”
Wajir health executive Habiba Ali Wajir health executive Habiba Ali said there is a need for a more unified and strategic approach to reduce HIV infections.
“The prevalence rate is still low at 0.2 per cent but we are now experiencing new infections,” she said.
Ali also expressed concerns on high school dropout rate of girls due to pregnancies.
She also highlighted rampant cases of GBV in Wajir county that called for concerted efforts among stakeholders.
“Deep-rooted gender inequalities make women and girls more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence. Most of these GBV cases often go unreported due to fear, stigma or lack of trust in law enforcement,” Ali said.
She expressed hope that the launched campaign will help to reduce the triple threat.
