At least 73,000 residents of Kisii
County are living with HIV, with only
15 per cent accessing medical
attention, statistics have revealed.
The county is listed alongside
Nairobi, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Mombasa
and Siaya as the hardest hit by the
HIV/Aids pandemic.
Kisii County Medical Director Dr
Geoffrey Otomu said advocacy for
HIV testing for pregnant women and
their partners, attendance of
required ante-natal care services,
promoting health facility skilled
birth delivery and exclusive
breastfeeding for the first six months
should be encouraged.
“Some of the children have
undergone multiple losses as a
result of the loss of parents and
siblings in close succession, thereby
hampering their growth and
development and enjoyment of their
childhood and even as they
approach the turbulent years of
teenage hood,” he said.
Speaking recently during the
National Aids Control Council (NACC)
and Kisii County consultative
meeting, County First Lady Elizabeth
Ongwae said her office had formed a
non-governmental organisation
dubbed Soma Support Project.
This will partner with Timiza Trust
Initiative, a community-based
organisation that is implementing
Wezesha, a USAid-funded project
that targets orphaned and
vulnerable children (OVCs) in Kisii.
According to Ms Ongwae, the group
has identified 252 primary schools
and 50 secondary schools where they
are offering counselling to OVCs and
children living with HIV/Aids.
The National Demographic and
Health Survey 2011 indicated that
Kisii has 5,480 new HIV infections
annually.
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