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Kenya lost 2,607 children aged below 14 years to HIV and Aids last year, a report by the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) indicates, signalling a stalled effort to stop mother-to-child transmissions.

The report also shows that there were 3,743 new HIV infections among children aged below 4 years in the same period. Of the estimated 1,411 of new infections, about 37.7 per cent occur due to the mother dropping of Ante Retroviral Therapy (ART). The Council report further indicates 956 of the new infections, about 25.5 per cent, are occurring due to the mother not receiving ART treatment.

“We are failing children,” said Dr Ruth Masha, NSDCC Chief Executive Officer, noting that new infections continue to come among children, even when their mother-to-child transmission can be prevented.

Dr Masha was speaking at the Nyayo National Stadium yesterday during the marking of World Aids Day, suggesting that structural reforms are key in assuring sustainability. Dr Masha said there is a need to talk about sex to the children at their appropriate age from when they start growing until they become adolescents and adults.

“We are calling that we stop shying away because our children sometimes perish because of lack of knowledge,” she pleaded, warning that those rates also mean that the journey towards ending HIV and Aids by 2030 will be derailed.

Preventing HIV transmission from mothers to children is a key focus in Kenya and progress is evident with a decline in transmission from 14 per cent in 2013 to 8.6 per cent in 2023. However, Dr Masha, who gave a presentation before Health Cabinet Secretary, Dr Deborah Barasa exuded confidence that Kenya is on the right trajectory, much as there is work to be done to meet the global target of lessthan 5 per cent by 2025.

“The challenge of addressing HIV transmission during pregnancy and breastfeeding periods requires that men and boys are engaged in prevention interventions,” she said.

The Health CS revealed that there is a programme where the ministry is going to engage stakeholders in finalising national and county operational plans in the next six months.

These plans, the CS revealed, will guide the country’s journey toward a resilient and self-reliant HIV response. She called on the country’s global partners to remain steadfast in this shared mission.

The plan focuses on five key actions including conducting epidemic and response appraisals to address vulnerabilities and inequalities; and addressing diagnostic, commodity, and workforce bottlenecks in the health system. Leveraging data for evidence-based decision-making, Dr Barasa said is a key feature in this plan, which also calls for investing in legal and policy reforms to eliminate stigma and discrimination “HIV has cast a long shadow over our nation, claiming lives across all ages.

This epidemic has demanded that we act with courage and solidarity. This year, we focus on the pivotal role of men and boys in the fight against HIV, a theme that resonates deeply with the call for civic duty and responsibility,” the CS said.

In her remarks, she reflected on the progress the country has made in addressing HIV and Aids, describing it as incredible.

Antiretroviral therapy has turned a once-fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition, which by the end of 2023, saw the country achieve a treatment coverage rate of 98 per cent among adults living with HIV, with 97 per cent of those on treatment achieving viral suppression.

“New HIV infections have declined by 83 per cent, from over 101,000 in 2013 to just fewer than 17,000 in 2023. AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 64 per cent over the same period,” she said.