Kisumu County Health Department has expressed concern over men infecting their pregnant wives with HIV through extramarital affairs. The warning came during World AIDS Day celebrations. New infection cases continue to rise in the county.
During World AIDS Day celebrations at Kisian Primary School in Kisumu West Sub-County, Public Health Director Dr. Fredrick Oluoch warned men against engaging in unprotected sex with partners outside marriage. He noted cases where women test negative for HIV in the early months of pregnancy but positive near delivery, likely due to infection from their husbands.
"We continue to witness a threatening situation where a mother tests negative in the first three months of pregnancy and in the last three months before giving birth, she tests positive. This means there is a high likelihood that she got the virus from her husband who engages in unprotected sex outside marriage," said Dr. Oluoch.
A report by the National Syphilis and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Council (NSCC) shows Kisumu is among counties with high new HIV infections in 2024. The prevalence rate is 11 percent, with 111,367 people living with the virus. New infections totaled 1,341, including 755 women, 361 men, and 225 children. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) cases dropped from 9 percent in 2019 to 5.97 percent in 2024.
Dr. Oluoch stated the department aims to reduce the rate below 5 percent, but men's behaviors hinder these efforts. "These men should protect their pregnant wives by stopping unprotected sex with partners outside marriage. They should be faithful and protect their wives during pregnancy," he added.