AIDS council says new HIV cases on the rise among the youth

The National Aids Control Council (NACC) has embarked on a campaign to sensitize youth infected with HIV/AIDS on importance of positive living.

Speaking at the County Health Headquarters in Embu on Thursday, November 17, Eastern Region Coordinator, Marion Mashoo, said that the youth aged between 10 and 25 are recording HIV/AIDS cases at an alarming rate.

Mashoo said: “In Embu, new cases of HIV/AIDS infection among the youth are hitting an all time high. The cases among the youngsters aged 10 – 19 has increased by 167 over the past one year while those aged between 15 -24 years have recorded 367 new cases over the same period of time.”

According to her, despite the youth being exposed to campaigns and information about HIV/ AIDS, they are still  not taking time to know their status.

She added that as the world prepares to celebrate World AIDS Day on  December  1, the youth will get more information and still need to voluntarily undergo testing to know their status.

Written by Diing Magot