CS Nakhumicha lauds community health promoters for role in combating HIV/AIDS

Dec 1, 2023 - 15:54

By Peter Ochieng

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Health Susan Wafula Nakhumicha has praised community-driven initiatives for their vital role in combating HIV/AIDS.

Speaking during the World AIDS Day event at the Kinoru Stadium in Meru County on Friday, Nakhumicha lauded enduring contributions of Community Health Promoters (CHPs), emphasizing their essential role in extending healthcare services, particularly in areas with limited resources.

"I call for integration of HIV interventions into essential healthcare packages for sustained coverage in addressing gaps in interventions, notably emphasizing the need to end sexual violence against children," stated the CS.

On her part, Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza pledged support for community healthcare workers, lauding the deployment of kits and promising joint funding for their standardisation and remuneration.

World AIDS Day is commemorated every 1st December, since 1988, as an international event dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease.

This year's theme is "Let Communities Lead," pencilled on the hope that the word can end AIDS with communities taking the lead.

President William Ruto recently stated that his administration has committed, through the Global Alliance, to ending HIV/AIDS in children by 2027.

Fredrick Oluoch, Kisumu County Director of Public Health and Sanitation, addressing the press on the sidelines of World AIDS day in the Lakeside County said it is possible to end the disease in children by 2027.

"It however calls for multi-sectoral approach," he added.

Oluoch said various measures put in place towards combating spread of HIV/AIDS in Kisumu County are paying off, as confirmed by the drop in the number of new cases.

He said in 2013, Kisumu County reported over 12,600 new cases of HIV/IDS in a year. Ten years later in 2023, new infections stand at 1,730.

Statistics show that every year in Kenya, 21% of new HIV infections occur among youth and adolescents aged 15–24, while over 1.5 million Kenyans are living with HIV.