Medical experts in Naivasha are calling on the government to send HIV specialists to the sub-county as one way of dealing with the disease.
The experts noted that lack of the specialists and medication to deal with opportunistic diseases affecting those with HIV Aids were affecting the fight against the disease.
Naivasha Sub County Medical Officer of Health Dr Oren Ombiro said lack of HIV and Aids specialists in the area had made it impossible to address the disease effectively.
Speaking on Tuesday, Ombiro noted that people living with HIV were prone to opportunistic diseases adding that they are often referred to Nairobi for lack of adequate personnel.
“We are forced to transfer patients to Kenyatta National hospital for specialised care as none of the specialists resides in Nakuru County,” he said.
The doctor said they were in the process of rolling out new guidelines that would see HIV positive women given ARVs during the pregnancy and breastfeeding period. Under the guidelines, children below the age of 10 years and who are found to be positive would be given the drugs and special care at no cost.
“Currently we have 387 children on care while 304 are under the ARVs and we are working hard to make sure we reduce mother to child transmissions to zero in the next five years,” he said.
At the same time, Naivasha Constituency AIDs Control Committee (CACC) chairman Reverend Paul Matheri said gender based violence was key contributor to the AIDs crisis in the area.
Matheri said that areas around flower farms were leading in the spread of the virus adding that they had rolled awareness campaigns to help curb the increase.