An Assessment of the Proportion of Youth aged 15-24 years with HIV infection in Malawi and Kenya

HIV prevalence is high in sub Saharan Africa with 64% of the total 24.5 million people living with HIV in 2005 (UNAIDS, 2006). Out of 17.3 million women living with HIV in the same period, 13.3 million were in sub Sahara Africa. In 2007, out of an estimated 2.5 million new infections, 1.7 million new infections were in sub Sahara Africa. Statistics from UNAIDS 2006 show that out of the total number of people in need of antiretroviral therapy, 72% were in sub Sahara Africa and that only one in six could receive ART. HIV affects all age groups including new born children, adolescents, adults and elderly. This presents differing socio economic implications and differing degrees of concerns, differing interventions and so on. This paper has assessed the proportion of youth aged 15-24 years with HIV infection in Malawi and Kenya. Available data show that in 2009, 3% and 7% of male and female of this age group were infected in Malawi while the prevalence was 2% and 4% respectively in Kenya (World Bank, online). This age group includes school going youths, newly employed, economically productive and sexually active group. This group is future of any nation. Above all, majority of youth in this age group are unmarried such that their HIV infection increases the risk of transmitting to new born children when they get married thereby multiplying the severity of the AIDS pandemic. Relatedly, focus on this age group has enormous positive gains on reducing intergeneration transmission of HIV, promoting economic and nation building.

The objectives were to understand the extent to which youth aged 15-24 years are affected by HIV in Malawi and Kenya and to investigate the interventions aimed at reducing HIV infection among the youth. Data for specific age cohort were hard to find and we have instead used data for general HIV and AIDS with special attention to the youth where possible. Despite a number of constraints and limitations such as time and data unavailability and inconsistency, the paper provides basis for more detailed study on the subject. Data in the study were mainly collected from reports of governments, World Bank, World Health Organizations and UN agencies Graphs, tables and charts have been used to present the statistics.