Injectable drugs cited for sharp rise in rate of new HIV infections

The use of injectable drugs has been linked to new HIV infections in the country, with Kenya being ranked position six globally in terms of AIDS-related deaths.

Speaking during a pre-conference ahead of World Aids Day today, Ruth Masha CEO of the National Syndemic of Disease Control Council (NSDCC) revealed that at least 26,000 people in the country are reported to use injectable drugs which are a contributor to new HIV infection rates.

“One of the challenges we are experiencing is HIV being transmitted in drug use practices by people who inject drugs. We all know that this practice is criminalised and for them to come out they need to get to a space where there is a legal framework to be able to access treatment,” said Masha.

Focusing on data, the prevalence of injecting drug use is alarmingly high across various counties with Kwale leading the count at 2,712, while Nairobi grapples with a staggering 9,722 cases.

Kilifi follows closely with 5,643 instances, Mombasa reports 2,559 cases, while Kisumu has 408, Kiambu records 592, and Muranga notes 211 cases.

NSDCC also revealed that stigma has been identified as a key contributor to the rising number of new HIV infections in arid and semi-arid counties.

This is barely four years as Kenya works towards its target of eliminating HIV transmission by 2027.

Other counties that have a high prevalence of stigma are the neighbouring counties of ASAL counties like Isiolo, Embu and Meru.

This stigma has highly contributed to the high number of treatment defaulters in the country.

Last year, at least about 113,000 people living with HIV defaulted on treatment whereas 18,000 people died of AIDS.

NSDCC attributed these defaults to stigma, discrimination, alcohol and substance abuse.

“The fear of discrimination and stigmatization has led individuals to extreme measures, such as burying their medication in a bid to conceal their condition, the social injustices further exacerbate the situation, creating an environment where individuals are forced to hide their health conditions, hindering progress,” she said

However, noted that the fear of contracting HIV through non-invasive methods such as circumcision, has become rampant in these areas, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted educational campaigns to dispel myths and misconceptions surrounding transmission.

Meanwhile, Kenya is still lagging behind in reducing mother to child HIV transmission, against the World Health Organisation (WHO) set target of five percent.

At the moment, the rate of mother to child transmission in Kenya stands at 8.6 per cent.

To eliminate cases of children living with HIV, Dr Masha said men should be involved in the fight.