HIV/Aids patients in Kiambu have been asked to stop hiding their status due to stigmatisation for it will lead to increase in transmission of the virus to other innocent people.
Speaking in his office on Tuesday, the Kiambu County Hospital Superintendent, Dr David Kariuki said that according to the statistics at the health facility, there were seven HIV/Aids victims for every 100 patients visiting the health centre.
He added that the number of people affected in Kiambu has stagnated at 3.8% for the past two years and it was now a big worry considering the fact that many of those infected were in the age bracket of 18-40 years which constitutes the youth.
He said that, if such figures continue to be registered in the hospital which acted as a referral to other health institutions in the county, then the manpower of the county was at risk as many infected persons would demand care from other hospitals and this would lead to drain and stretching of resource in the area.
“Youths should reduce the number of their sexual partners and parents should be open to their children and guide them appropriately concerning matters of Aids. The media should also give the right forum according to the age and programmes targeted to the youths, ” said Dr Kariuki.
The doctor said those infected should protect others from being infected and also accept their status and attend the clinic diligently.
He noted that they should follow instructions given to them by the doctors, and also protect their partners if they were not infected.
He also added that people who are not infected with Aids should abstain from unprotected sex and should use condoms whereas married couples should be faithful to their partners.
“To reduce cases of HIV, people should be aware of their status and also be ready to protect their spouses,” he said.