By Fredrick Odiero
Kisumu will later this month play host to a HIV/AIDS conference targeting youth and adolescents from various parts of the African continent over the gains and shortcomings in the fight against the epidemic.
The conference will be convened by Impact Research and Development Organization, where over 1000 participants are expected to be in attendance.
IRDO executive director, Dr Kawango Agot, said youths from all Africa will participate in the conference, where they will share their experience, success stories and challenges.
Speaking in Kisumu ahead of the summit that will take place between June 21 and 24, Dr Agot said youths in Africa still bear the burden of HIV/AIDS.
Dr Agot said the youth account for 30 per cent of infections in the four lake region counties of Homa Bay, Kisumu, Siaya and Migori despite the fact that they consist of only 10 percent of population in the region.
She observed that youths do not secure access to services such as condom use, prep and do not have the skills to negotiate use of some devices whic reduce the spread of HIV.
Dr Agot noted that a number of youths use prep but stop using it after sometimes.
She said the problem is rife in the lake region since most spouses are always away.
Dr Agot said the lake region is hard hit also because most men spend a lot of time in fishing expeditions.
She however said a number of gains have been made in the fight to reduce HIV infections.
Suba used to record an incident rate of 48 per cent of the national infection cases which has now reduced to 20 per cent,” she said.
Dr Agot said the drop was as a result of reduced practices such as wife inheritance, and that more people being put on anti-retroviral therapy.
She said interventions so far put in place have had positive results.
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