Organizing for public health barazas and rolling out of mobile VCT services would help in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS among Thika residents, a community health worker has a said.
Carol Wanjugu from SASA Centre, a Thika based organisation that deals with HIV/AIDS-related matters, says that residents who shy away from going to the health facilities to have HIV/AIDS tests carried on them can be well served by mobile VCTs.
"The issue of HIV/AIDS testing remains delicate and even up to today there are still those who cannot go to a health facility and have a test carried on them. However, a mobile VCT would serve them even at their homes where they wouldn't fear having the tests carried out," said Wanjugu at the organisation's office in on Tuesday.
She added: "Public health barazas are also very important avenues of sensitizing the public not only on HIV/AIDS alone but also on other health related issues. Demonstrations can be carried out easily to help residents understand better."
Wanjugu noted that such methods would work effectively in slums like Gachagi and Kiandutu where she said that many residents seems not to consider going for HIV/ AIDS tests important.
"Both the government and organizations like us can work together to reach out to the people in the slums through public health barazas and mobile VCTs where majority are yet to know their HIV/AIDS status and infection rate relatively high," she added.