Older people at higher risk

New findings show that older people, once thought to be less sexually active and at low risk of HIV infection, are more vulnerable than previously believed.

The National Aids Control Council has moved to develop strategies specifically to target people over 45.

“These new findings have made us to go back to the drawing board to come up with interventions specifically for the older adults, something we had not done before,” said Ibrahim Mohammed, head of National Aids and STD Control Programmes.

Presenting the final results of the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey 2007, Dr Mohammed said HIV prevalence among women aged between 45 to 49 years rose from 3.9 per cent in 2003 to 8.8 per cent in 2007, while that for men in the same group and period increased from 5.2 to 5.6 per cent.