NAIROBI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The number of HIV/AIDS related deaths amongst the youth is reducing drastically in Kenya, a government official said on Tuesday.
Julius Korir, the Principal Secretary for Health said that the number of deaths fell from 9,000 to 4,000 in the last three years.
"Our strategic plan for ending HIV in adolescents is fast bearing fruits after enrolling over 40,000 young learners into ARV programs," Korir said at the opening of the 2017 HIV and AIDS conference.
He said that the reduction has been realized due to continuous efforts in giving out youths the required knowledge to live healthy, adding that 99 percent of youths are aware of the dangers posed by the scourge.
"As we fortify our prevention interventions, we are also prioritizing provision of treatment and care to young people who have tested positive to HIV," he added.
Korir said that data further found out that the youths account for 55 percent of all new HIV infections which stand at 78,000 annually.
The official called on researchers to prioritize the HIV epidemic research as a public health concern by engaging young and upcoming researchers to actively participate in HIV research undertakings.
"If we are to reap from the demographic dividend, we have to provide an enabling environment for young people to lead healthy and productive lives," Korir said.
He cautioned researchers not to engage in research activities for research's sake but translate the science to end new HIV Infections in Kenya.
The Director of National Aids Control Council, Nduku Kilonzo, said that HIV stigma remains the biggest barrier to youths willing to test their status.
Kilonzo, however, revealed that the body plans to reach 3.8 million young people in the next seven months.
She observed that domestic financing of HIV has increased from 204 million U.S. dollars last year to 260 million dollars this year.
"We are however calling on additional funding since HIV Aids spending has also increased due to increased number of people under medication that takes 60 percent of the total allocation," Kilonzo added.
She said that 32,500 people died from the scourge last year in the country due to the reduction in mother to child transmission and the low rate of new infections.
