The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) has released the 2023 report indicating that about 1.37 million Kenyans are living with HIV.
According to the latest findings of the report, the number of people living with HIV decreased by 59,483 from the 1.4 million reported during the corresponding period in the previous year 2023.
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“The number of deaths decreased by 3,900 from 22,373 to 18,473 while HIV prevalence among females stood at 5.3 percent and among males at 2.6 percent,” NSDCC chief executive Dr Ruth Laibon-Masha said in an interview. She further noted that the number of Kenyans on antiretroviral therapy increased by 175,488 from 1.12 million to 1.29 million.
The report further reveals that the nationwide prevalence stands at 3.7 percent among adults aged between 15 to 49 years. Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western continue to lead in the number of HIV-positive cases.
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The report noted that the Nyanza region recorded the highest number of HIV-positive cases at 341,903, the Rift Valley region has the second highest number at 201,689 while Eastern comes third at 97,505.
The report shows that 348,408 Kenyan men and 807,576 women are utilizing antiretrovirals (ARVs) to manage their HIV. Concerning figures were reported for HIV infections among young adults aged 15 to 24, with the data showing 145,142 cases for this group.
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Commenting on the report’s release, Geoffrey Githu, Chairperson of NSDCC, attributed the persistently high prevalence to what he termed as immorality among the youth.
According to the report, the number of HIV infections among adolescents aged 10-19 years stands at 88,853, with 3,244 young people in this category contracting the virus last year. The number of HIV deaths in the same category was 1,215
Among adults aged 15 to 24, the number of HIV infections now stands at 145,142, while new HIV infections recorded stand at 7,307. The report also shows that there are currently 348,408 Kenyan men and 807,576 women on antiretrovirals (ARVs).
The number of women receiving treatment is 46,361 on mothers-to-child transmission, which according to NSDCC means that coverage is at 90 percent.
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