Kenya population based HIV impact assessment launched in Wajir

Wajir County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Public Health Abdihakim Billow on Wednesday flagged off the Kenya Population Based HIV impact Assessment (KENPHIA) exercise in the county.
“The primary objective of KENPHIA is to measure the national incidence of HIV in Kenya, measure the national and county level prevalence as well as both the national and county level of viral suppression,” explained Billow during the launch in Wajir town.
KENPHIA is a population-based survey that seeks to understand the magnitude and dynamics of the HIV epidemic in Kenya.
Additionally, the survey includes evaluation of the national estimates of prevalence of HIV in children aged below four years, adult national prevalence of transmitted HIV drug resistance, syphilis and hepatitis B infections, he added.
The level of anti-retroviral drug use, HIV related behaviours, HIV knowledge and attitudes, behavioural and demographic determinants of HIV prevalence will be determined.
The survey was launched countywide in April 2018 and filed data collection will continue for the next six months.
The 2018 KENPHIA is aimed at providing data to enable the Government of Kenya plan for, implementation and monitor its HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes.
KENPHIA will conduct HIV focused, cross-sectional household based surveys on 35,162 randomly selected individuals.
These will include 28,336 adults and late adolescents aged 15-19 as well as 6, 826 children aged below 14 years old.
In Wajir, the survey covers 12 clusters, 2 in each of the 6 sub counties, with each cluster consisting of 25 households.
By Donald Ngala