By CHRISTABEL LIGAMI
Kenya is expected to relax the age limit for HIV and Aids testing from 18 years to 12 years, as part of its efforts to fight deaths and infections 
associated with the virus among adolescents. Currently, the Kenyan law stipulates that young people aged below 18 years can only get tested if they have the consent of their parents or guardians, unless they are married and are expecting a child before that age. Martin Sirengo, deputy director of medical services and the National Aids and STI Control Programme (Nascop), said that discussions are underway and if an agreement is reached, the new measures will be announced soon.
“If we do not agree on age 12, then we shall raise it to 16, just as it is in the US,” said Dr Sirengo. According to statistics, about 17 per cent of all Aids-related deaths in the country are among adolescents. Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, during the launch of “All In” in Nairobi last week, directed the Ministry of Education to include comprehensive sex education in the current school curriculum. “All In” is a new platform for action against the adolescent Aids epidemic. “By including adolescents in decision-making processes that have a direct effect on their lives, this initiative will be a catalyst for change,” said President Kenyatta. The programme, launched by UNAids, Unicef and partners, focuses on four key action areas: Engaging, mobilising and empowering adolescents as leaders and actors of social change; improving data collection to better inform programming; encouraging innovative approaches to reach adolescents with essential HIV services adapted to their needs; and placing adolescent HIV firmly on political agendas to spur concrete action and mobilise resources.
While major advances have been made in almost every area of the response to HIV, progress among adolescents is falling behind. National Aids Control Council executive director Nduku Kilonzo said that adolescents (10-19-year-olds) have been left behind in the Aids response initiative and have been overlooked in global, national and local programmes and budgets. Dr Kilonzo said this has created barriers that make it difficult for young people to access HIV testing and counselling services, particularly among the most marginalised adolescents — those exploited for commercial sex, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and those living and working on the streets. “The barriers include the unavailability of free testing and counselling, low awareness of the benefits of testing, the requirement for parental consent and the low perception of risks of infection,” said Dr Kilonzo. “Educating students about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases could increase their likelihood of being tested.”
Julitta Onabanjo, director United Nations Population Fund East and South African regional office, said that adolescents face difficult and often confusing emotional and social pressures as they grow into adults, and, therefore, need health services and support tailored to their needs. “They are less likely than adults to be tested for HIV, and often need more support than adults to help them maintain care and stick to treatment,” said Ms Onabanjo. A World Health Organisation report shows that adolescents are the only group where Aids-related deaths are not declining. The failure to support effective and acceptable HIV services for adolescents has resulted in a 50 per cent increase in reported Aids-related deaths in this group compared with the 30 per cent decline seen in the general population from 2005 to 2012.
In sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that only 10 per cent of young men and 15 per cent of young women (15-24 years) know their HIV status and, in other regions, although data is scarce, access to HIV testing and counselling by vulnerable adolescents is consistently reported as being very low. WHO recommends that governments review their laws to make it easier for adolescents to get HIV testing without needing consent from their parents. The guidelines also suggest ways that health services can improve the quality of care and social support for adolescents. They also highlight the value of involving this age group in creating an adolescent-centred approach to the services that work for people of their age.
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