Kiambu residents have been urged to go for HIV testing and counseling services at various centres in the county.
The nursing officer at Kiambu District Hospital Teresia Mbua says there’s the county has registered a low number of people visiting Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centres. She says the situation was posing serious challenges in the fight against the disease.
Speaking in her office at the Kiambu District Hospital on Monday, Mbua said that during the 2014-15 period, only 200,000 individuals were tested in the county making up for 30 percent of the residents.
She added that it was proving impossible for medical personnel in the area to attend to people living with Aids because majority of them are not aware of their status.
She noted that most of the people who have been tested in the county are pregnant women attending antenatal clinics while voluntary testing for groups in the community did not attract as many.
The officer attributed the failure of members of the public to attend VCT sessions to the stigma still attached to the disease by members of the community despite the numerous civic campaigns.
She further said that the provision of HIV/Aids services had been increased to 115 centres including all public health facilities in the county as she appealed to residents to utilise them and know their status.
Mbua revealed that plans were underway to kick-start an anti-Aids campaign throughout the county through under Total War against Aids (TOWA) project in a bid to reduce HIV infections.
“I urge civil society groups and all residents to break the stigma and myths associated with Aids to enable more people to accept to be tested,” she said.
She said diffusion of myths would go a long way in eradicating the disease in line with Kenya Vision 2030 and the millennium development goals.