{"id":64242,"date":"2024-07-11T11:03:31","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T11:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/07\/11\/kirinyaga-county-fast-advancing-towards-zero-new-hiv-infections-says-waiguru\/"},"modified":"2024-07-11T11:03:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T11:03:31","slug":"kirinyaga-county-fast-advancing-towards-zero-new-hiv-infections-says-waiguru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/kirinyaga-county-fast-advancing-towards-zero-new-hiv-infections-says-waiguru\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirinyaga County fast advancing towards zero new HIV infections, says Waiguru"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has said that the county is <\/span>fast advancing towards the <\/span>elimination of new HIV infections.<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

This comes in the wake of the county being <\/span>recognized <\/span>for<\/span> offering sustained quality HIV\/Aids <\/span>management services <\/span>as the country transitions to the <\/span>direct <\/span>f<\/span>unding model for HIV <\/span>programmes<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking during a media <\/span>interview<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>the G<\/span>overnor <\/span>said that the county has been implementing a comprehensive HIV\/AIDS strategy ai<\/span>med at <\/span>lowering prevalence rates through prevention of new infections, p<\/span>revention of mother to child <\/span>transmission<\/span> as well as enhancing treatment.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

She noted<\/span> that over the recent years, the <\/span>county\u2019s <\/span>preva<\/span>lence rate has dropped<\/span> from 3.8pc<\/span> <\/span>in 2018 <\/span>to the current 2.4pc while new infections have gone down from 779 to 117 <\/span>currently. Mother to child transmission has also decreased from 12.4pc in 2018 to 5.8pc in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

Governor Waiguru expressed optimism on achievement of improved outcomes and<\/span> projected<\/span> <\/span>less than 1pc prevalence rate in the near future and eventual elimination of the pandemic in the county.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the recent HIV Service Delivery Integration Summit held in Mombasa, <\/span>Kirinyaga<\/span> <\/span>was saluted<\/span> <\/span>by the National AIDS and STI\u2019s Control <\/span>Programme<\/span> (NASCOP) and<\/span> <\/span>Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <\/span>as one of the <\/span>devolved units <\/span>that have successfully implemented Government to Government (G2G) HIV\/AIDS management collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Waiguru<\/span> who is also the Council of Governors Chair, said that th<\/span>rough G2G HIV\/AIDS programming, County Governments <\/span>are able to <\/span>lead technical, management and financial systems for HIV<\/span> program<\/span>s<\/span> and sustain quality HIV service. <\/span><\/p>\n

The new G2G funding model mean that Counties will be getting direct funding for HIV\/Aid management from donors instead of the resources going to external implementing partners to implement the <\/span>programmes<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

She<\/span> <\/span>emphasized the transformative impact of the <\/span>G2G<\/span> funding. \u201cWe are very appreciative of the government-to-government funding for this program in Kirinyaga County<\/span> since it has enabled us realize significance outcomes from the interventions we have been implementing. This model has filled ma<\/span>ny<\/span> gaps that existed when donors used <\/span>external implementing partners.<\/span>\u201d Said the governor, noting <\/span>that direct funding has also provided opportunities to improve the locally owned and driven coordination and management of HIV programs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Waiguru pointed out t<\/span>hat the county governme<\/span>nt<\/span> has also been undertaking capacity building within the county\u2019s healthcare system preparing the health practitioners to offer quality HIV\/AIDS service in the county as well as integrating it in healthcare system. She expressed optimism that in future, counties should be able to finance HIV\/AIDS programs so as to reduce overdependence on external donors.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kirinyaga <\/span>County Executive Committee Member<\/span> (CECM)<\/span> for Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation, <\/span>George <\/span>Karoki<\/span>,<\/span> said that through <\/span>Center for Disease Control and Prevention (<\/span>CDC<\/span>)<\/span> and the <\/span>President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) <\/span>as well as other implementing partners, <\/span>the co<\/span>unty has made significant strides towards HIV\/A<\/span>ids<\/span> <\/span>management ranging from testing, prevention and treatment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Karoki<\/span> noted the importance of the government-to-government funding model in enhancing local capacity. \u201cA lot of capacity building has been done. Our healthcare workers have been trained on how to manage, plan, and implement issues related to HIV prevention. They are now able to own that particular activity and management as a community,\u201d he stated. <\/span><\/p>\n

He highlighted the integration of HIV services into normal service delivery as a significant advancement, particularly in outpatient and laboratory services.<\/span><\/p>\n

The CECM<\/span> <\/span>noted that Kirinyaga C<\/span>ounty has introduced <\/span>Wezesha<\/span> <\/span>Afia<\/span> project, an i<\/span>nitiative to manage government-to-government funding <\/span>and oversee seamless transition from donor funded activities to <\/span>the eventual<\/span> county funded HIV\/A<\/span>ids<\/span> programming. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lydia <\/span>Wairimu<\/span>, a Peer Educator at <\/span>Difathas<\/span> Health Center, shared her personal journey and the impact of the<\/span> G2G<\/span> program on the ground. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI found out my diagnosis in 1994. Then HIV medication was scarce and expensive. I was employed here in 2011, and my duties include ensuring patients actively take medication,<\/span> and that those who are <\/span>diagnosed <\/span>are taken through co<\/span>u<\/span>nse<\/span>lling and enrollment into treatment plan.<\/span>\u201d Said <\/span>Wairimu<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said that due to various interventions by the government and partners, there has been reducing mother to child infection. <\/span>Stigma has also reduced<\/span> thus increasing the county\u2019s HIV <\/span>suppression<\/span> rate and <\/span>reducing<\/span> HIV related deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary <\/span>Wawira<\/span>, a Mentor Mother at <\/span>Kangu<\/span> Health Center, emphasized the program\u2019s role in supporting expectant mothers. \u201cI have been a Mentor Mother for about four years. My duties entail educating and advising expectant mothers on the importance of getting tested as a couple, as well as providing guidance and counselling for those who <\/span>may turn out<\/span> HIV positive<\/span>.\u201d She said. She also counsels those who test positive on how to protect their unborn babies from contracting the virus and how to manage them after birth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kirinyaga County is a considered a medium HIV burdened county with 13,353 persons living with HIV, 457 of them being children and 94pc of them accessing treatment. The current suppression rate stands at 91pc.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The post Kirinyaga County fast advancing towards zero new HIV infections, says Waiguru<\/a> first appeared on KBC<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has said that the county is fast advancing towards the elimination of new HIV infections. This comes in the wake of the county being recognized for offering sustained quality HIV\/Aids management services as the country transitions to the direct funding model for HIV programmes. Speaking during a media interview, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64242\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}