Health officials from Kisumu County have called upon parents to be on the lookout during this festive season to prevent their school-going children from engaging in immoral activities during the long holidays.
Area director of public health and Sanitation, Dr Fredrick Oluoch, said many teenagers become pregnant during the first quarter of the long holidays.
Dr Oluoch noted that teenagers also end up securing unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Speaking at Kisian primary school in Kisumu West sub-county during World AIDS Day, Dr Oluoch said disco Matangas are the main breeding grounds for such vices during the long festive season.
The director, at the same time, expressed concern over the high HIV prevalence rates among teens and children, together with women in Kisumu County.
Dr Oluoch challenges still militate against the HIV fight in the county.
The director said the HIV prevalence rate in Kisumu County is 11.%, which is significantly higher than the national average of 3.3%.
“This rate is based on recent data from 2024, and it positions Kisumu County as having the highest HIV prevalence in Kenya,” he said.
Dr Oluoch said men were not screening for HIV and not adhering, hence infecting their partners.
The director said cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) further contributed to the spread of the virus.
“We have witnessed many cases of sexual Gender violence and femicide with most of the perpetrators being men,” he said.
Dr Oluoch said even though the County had made great strides in the fight against HIV, the question of men carrying the highest HIV/Aids disease burden was a big concern.
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The director cautioned expectant mothers against delivering at home, as this prevents health personnel from knowing their status.
The county government, with support from the national government and partners, he added, has achieved reasonable Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) coverage.
Dr Oluoch urged teenagers to abstain from early sex since it endangers their lives.
He said the stigma issue should be a thing of the past in the wake of quality care.
Dr Oluoch said they are in talks with partners over issues such as mutual assistance.
Kisumu West Assistant County Commissioner Joseph Oloo warned those who organise discos that their days are numbered.
Oloo wondered why such things were organised at night, unlike their days, when they were organised during the daytime.
He said those who prey on schoolchildren will be dealt with accordingly.
By Fredrick Odiero
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