Naivasha has 308 children living with HIV with 304 who currently on Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs).
However, stakeholders in the fight of HIV and Aids are still concerned that the welfare of the children is not well looked into.
Led by the patron for the Aids steering committee and Naivasha Member of Parliament John Karanja Kihagi, they argued that not enough attention is being given to children who were born with the virus.
He said, “They need counselling and advice. We have not seen scenarios where they have been taken to workshops and told about the disease.”
“They have not been taught about their basic sexuality. Considering that we are celebrating thirty years of HIV in Kenya, they should be given better attention,” added Kihagi.
He was speaking during celebrations to mark the Worlds Aids Day in Naivasha where he argued that the basic requirements for the children should be addressed.
“Discrimination against such children is still high. We have parents who warn their children not to play with them or even talk to them. In some schools, they are even shunned and ignored. The children need much love and care and it is time a campaign was started to root for this,” he added.
Naivasha Ministry of Health (MOH’s) Dr Oren Ombiro argues that treatment for HIV related diseases in government hospitals should be made completely free.
“The basic antibiotics are currently free and test kits are well available. In fact even basic lab test is free. However, advance care for such patients is slowly becoming expensive since in some instances they have to undergo scans and hence a huge setback,” he added.