The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has raised concern over a worrying trend of HIV infections among adolescents and young adults.
The hospital continues to manage a heavy patient load of more than 6,700 people living with the virus.
Latest data from the Hospital’s Patient Support Center shows that as of October 31, 2025, a total of 6,762 HIV-positive clients were enrolled in care at the Kisumu-based referral facility.
While the largest patient group remains adults aged 25 to 54 years, accounting for 4,710 clients, Hospital officials warn that new and ongoing infections are increasingly concentrated among younger age groups.
Of particular concern is the 15–24 age bracket, which accounts for 435 clients, signalling sustained transmission among adolescents and young adults despite years of prevention campaigns.
The trend points to persistent gaps in sexual health education, prevention uptake and protection for young people, especially adolescent girls and young women.
The data further shows a clear gender disparity, with women disproportionately affected.
Of the total clients enrolled, 4,393 are female compared to 2,369 males, reinforcing national patterns that place young women at higher risk of HIV infection. Fourteen new clients were enrolled in October alone.
JOOTRH is also providing HIV care to 63 infants aged between zero and nine months and 78 children aged 10 to 14 years, raising red flags over ongoing mother-to-child transmission and early exposure.
In addition, 1,326 clients aged 55 years and above are enrolled at the facility. According to the facility’s Patient Support Nurse-In-Charge, Elizabeth Abonyo, teenage pregnancies are fuelling the HIV burden among adolescents in the area.
“Children should not have children,” Abonyo said, noting that early sexual debut and unintended pregnancies were placing teenagers at heightened risk of infection and lifelong treatment.
She called for urgent, youth-focused interventions to protect adolescents, urging them to prioritise their health, access prevention services and delay childbearing.
Her remarks were echoed by Deputy-In-Charge, Paul Abuto, who emphasised the need for sustained HIV sensitisation and routine viral load testing.
He highlighted the U=U (Undetectable equals untransmittable) principle, saying many young people were still unaware that effective treatment can suppress the virus and prevent transmission.
“This knowledge is critical in fighting stigma and encouraging adherence, especially among adolescents,” Abuto said.
In response to the troubling trends among young clients, the Hospital has intensified its adolescent-focused interventions through the Operation Triple Zero programme, which currently enrols 300 adolescents living with HIV.
The initiative demands strict adherence to care through zero missed clinic visits, zero missed medication doses and zero missed viral load tests.
Adolescents under the programme attend monthly support meetings every last Friday, with immediate booking of their next clinic appointments to ensure close follow-ups.
To cope with its growing and diverse clientele, JOOTRH runs a structured six-month booking cycle, serving between 80 and 120 patients daily.
Clinics are organised by age group, with adults seen on Mondays and Tuesdays, adolescents on Wednesdays, children on Thursdays and senior citizens on Fridays.
By Chris Mahandara
