Amadi T; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).

Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. C10297.

Vihiga, Kenya

Issue: HIV/AIDS prevalence among the youth in Western Kenya Community is alarming. It is threatening to wipe out the youth of between 16-25 years. This community is known to practice traditional circumcision after every 2 to 5 years. The boys are made to line up and the circumcisers work on them one after another and hurriedly without considering safety precautions. This puts both parties at 99% of contracting the HIV virus through blood transmission. The initiates are put under a caretaker who use the same instruments for cleaning on several of them without sterilizing out of 1120 boys initiated in 2000, 280 are dead and 126 are ailing due to HIV/AIDS related cases. Description: Our project targets traditional circumcision, initiate caretakers, the youth and community opinion leaders by empowering them with the information, methods and need to observe safety precautions during the occasion. Behaviour change, need for VCT and counseling. We also insist and persist on preventive measures among the community. Lesson learned: Many people are ignorant of HIV virus transmission and there is a need for the community to be educated more on this. Opinion leaders have now joined us against the fight and hope to reduce it to 1% by the year 2005 occasion. There is also a need for drug distribution and home based care for AIDS orphans. Recommendation: There is need for more training to empower this group to take a leading role in the community to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Adolescent
• Adolescent Behavior
• Circumcision, Male
• Foster Home Care
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• Humans
• Kenya
• Male
• Prevalence
• Virus Diseases
• surgery

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0032856

UI: 102277070

From Meeting Abstracts