Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Rural Areas to Get More Condoms

Rural Areas to Get More Condoms
By BORNICE BIOMNDO

The distribution of condoms in rural areas is to be stepped.

This follows the findings of the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey that more men are getting infected with HIV.

While the infection rate of women has remained constant, the rate of infection among men has risen, especially in rural areas.

Public Health and Sanitation minister Beth Mugo said the ministry’s new strategy included ensuring access to preventive measures and information, especially in remote areas.

“We want community service organisations to be major distributors of condoms and information materials,” the minister said in a statement.

The director of the National Aids and STI Control Programme, Dr Nicholas Muraguri, "fead the statement on her behalf during the official launch of Maanisha, an HIV programme initiated by Amref and funded by the Swedish and British governments.

Official launch

Dr Muraguri said that the government needed to form links with such initiatives to effectively reach the people.

At the same time, the National Aids Control Council chairperson, Prof Miriam Were, attributed the rise in the number of infections to the failure to involve men in the Aids war.

“Until we address them (men), we cannot keep clapping for the empowered woman", she said. `

The Maanisha programme is a five year plan to strengthen community based organisations through funding, training of personnel and provision of care kits.

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