Over 170,000 Nairobians are living with human immunodeficiency virus –Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV–AIDS)
This is according to a report that has shown that 171,510 people are direct victims of the virus, with 8,653 aged below 15 years.
This was revealed during the launch of the Nairobi County HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan by the health executive Bernard Muia who said that the county also has a large number of commercial sex workers, men having sex with men and those injecting drugs.
“In Nairobi, we have 29,000 commercial sex workers, 11,000 men having sex with men and 7,000 injecting drugs, [and] all risk being infected by HIV,” said Dr Muia.
Muia further noted that over the last decade the prevalence rate has been a consistent decrease from a high of 14 per cent to 8 per cent.
Despite the Capital City county leading with the number of those living with the virus, the report further noted that the number of new infections in the county remains high at about 3,200 a year.
Transmission of HIV-AIDS
Sex among heterosexual partners, and casual sex among gay men and between sex workers and their clients was ranked as the main modes of HIV transmission in the city.
Despite injection of drugs missing in the top three, the reported revealed that contributes a high number of new infections.
According to the report, heterosexual partners, gay casual sex, sex between sex workers and their clients, and sharing of nedle when injecting drugs are reported to account for over 90 per cent of new infections.
“Nairobi has many challenges, especially in the health infrastructure, which attracts clients from outside the county who require health services from the city,” said John Kamigwi, the deputy director of policy and research at the National AIDs Control Council.