How the spread of HIV/AIDS among teenagers is happening during the pandemic

Piece by: Marion Kageni
Entertainment

In a world that is battling the coronavirus pandemic, little or no attention is given to other deadly diseases.

The pandemic has brought about so many limitations.

Recent reports have revealed that there is an increase in the infections of HIV/AIDS among teenagers at this COVID period so what could be the cause and how can we curb the increased infections for a virus which has been a major problem in Africa?

According to UNICEF Kenya, 11 in every 100 children were born to mothers living with HIV/AIDS and got infected translating to an approximate 80 new infections among children as of 2018.

With another pandemic at our disposal which is equally infectious, there is little or no attention paid to HIV/AIDS patients, in fact there is now an increase in the number of infections among teenagers.

The new pandemic has led to schools being closed and children now have the privilege to interact and socialize which is not a bad thing.

However, they say an idle mind is the devil’s workshop and teenagers are vulnerable where they need all the guidance and education they can get regarding sexual intercourse

It would be ignorant to assume that teenagers are not having sex.

These adolescents have got feelings and are out here to try out new things.

With coronavirus leading to distress as parents cry out with some losing their source of income while others incurring loss in their businesses, there is a lot of distress at home, poverty increase has also been witnessed with families struggling to put food in their mouth.

At school children are away from the protective environment which also could be another cause of teenagers engaging in unprotected sexual intimacy.

The issue of gender inequality also arises, with poverty increasing in the country, girl child struggles to meet her needs.

As a girl there are special needs such as access to sanitary towels and it is not new for some taking advantage of the situation to lay these young girls down.

With poverty at our disposal there is a lot of loss.

These young boys and girls struggling to put food in their mouth or even accessing school materials end up accepting offers from mischievous people who would offer the needed materials or food in exchange for sex.

With no other option left, the only way out seems to have the unprotected sex in order some of these needs.

It is important for society to look back and fix the problem.

The pretense of teenagers not engaging in sexual intercourse must come to an end.

Yes, it is important to always preach abstinence as it is the best way to curb the virus but there is another side to look at.

In case they do have sex, what is the safest way for them.

With the statistics that revealed that there is an increase in teenage pregnancies as of 2020 it is clear that sex is being practiced among teenagers, so what is the safest way to have sex?

The issue of being vocal on sex education at schools and home should be embraced and by sex education it means going into details about how to protect oneself from contracting the virus.

Society should be the watchdog on such deeds, take action in protecting teenagers. The ministry of health also has a role to play by equally focusing on the issue of HIV/AIDS with the same spirit as with coronavirus.

The health facilities can do so by providing health services on HIV/AIDS as I was before the coronavirus pandemic.

It is high time the society starts being vocal on sex education in order for teenagers to understand how risky premature sex really is.

As much as we have grown in terms of discussing about sex, we are still left behind by shying away about such discussions in a home set up and at schools.

They say knowledge is power and with the right information about the safe sex, abstinence and the sexually transmitted diseases there would be such a significant change and a different look among teenagers on the issue of sex.

It is not for teachers and parents alone to be concerned but a society and the government as whole.