One of our clients, a notable dignitary somewhere, called me early today He wanted a speech to deliver at one of the occasions to mark the World AIDS tomorrow.
With no one in the office to deploy, I put my feet to work and was soon in National AIDS Control Council and County health offices to find details on trends, the theme this year…a speech has to be relevant, you know…
What I learnt has left me sad…young people, teenagers have abandoned condoms. That is why there is an upsurge in sales of emergency contraceptive pills and cases of young people seeking post-abortion care in health facilities after pregnancy terminations in backstreet clinics go wrong.
One official told me that unfortunately young girls just from high school are the target of older adults who consider them low risk and therefore prey for “dry-fry”. The consequences are out there. He said there is a reversal of the gains made in promotion of condom use in the aggressive campaign of early 2000s.
In the last 18 months I have personally counseled three interns, college girls who had fallen pregnant. They all said EPs failed them. One of them was on medication for serious depression after her businesswoman mother forced her to abort. Her corporate senior executive father did not like the tribe her boyfriend came from…
The long-term effects of this trend are a resurgence of new infections. We can all prevent this. We can play a part by reminding the young to play safe. AIDS is not about others. It is about us, our younger brothers and sisters…
Do these young girls even know that the emergency pill is not meant to be used on a regular basis? It is a pity that some of these girls who abort or abuse the emergency pill might not conceive so easily in future. The worst news is that they may get HIV/AIDS. This is so sad.
Haya, leteni hekaya. After all the chest thumping that goes on in the village ‘how I Dfed a college chic, how I Dfed this chic I met in a mat, pub etc. How I Dfed someone’s wife.’
There must be those’ walikula mbaya’ and got infected with HIV.
Kindly share that experience and tell us what happened and how you are handling it.
There is a lady naona sai on citizen tv online saying exactly what you have written.
1 of every 3 new infections are people aged between 15 and 24!!!
Bottom line ABC ni muhimu.