The county government of Kisumu has increased coverage of HIV elimination of mother to child transmission services, Governor Jack Ranguma says. The county boss on Monday said the services are now available in all health facilities in the lakeside region. Ranguma, who spoke during the celebrations to mark World Aids Day in Kisumu, hailed First Lady Margaret Kenyatta for her Beyond Zero initiative campaign aimed at reducing mortality rates in the country. “I want to sincerely thank the first lady for her effort to prevent mother and child related deaths during pregnancy,” he said. He said the new generations who will be now born by HIV positive mothers will have a life to life as preventing mother to child transmission is now achievable. The governor called upon communities to ensure pregnant mothers access quality delivery services. “This should be a role for everybody to ensure our pregnant mothers get access to health facilities for delivery to reduce cases of child mortality,” he said. Ranguma further urged health providers to provide high quality services to all mothers. The county director of health, Dr Ojwang Lusi, announced that statistics indicate that HIV prevalence rate among women is higher than in men. Lusi said the county government should find out why women are more susceptible to HIV/Aids than men and find the best solution to reverse the trend. He said young women in the ages of 15-18 are reported to be infected with the HIV virus.

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