HIV has been a topic that keeps being debated on each passing day. Awareness and preventive measures have been propelled to ensure the spread is contained.
Although studies have shown that young university students have a high degree of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and modes of transmission, they are still not utilising the existing prevention methods and still engage in risky sexual practices favourable to HIV.
Fewer deaths indicate that more youth are getting tested, treated and retained on antiretroviral therapy.
Currently, nearly one million Kenyans are on ART, While AIDS-related deaths have decreased since 2010 in all other age groups, among older adolescents aged 15 to 19 they have remained stubbornly constant.
About 1.2 million 15- to 19-year-olds were living HIV in 2017, three in five of them girls.
According to UNICEF report, the epidemic’s spread among adolescent girls is being fuelled by early sex, including with older males, forced sex, powerlessness in negotiating about sex, poverty, and lack of access to confidential counselling and testing services.
One Bett Wahome, like an ordinary Kenyan Instagram influencer, did a small expose on Varsity students and their encounters with HIV. Below are some of the stories, though encrypted to hide victims identities.
A Moi University students seems ready to spread the disease, sad!
A student from MKU said:
A UoN student said:
Here is what another victim said:
