Rise in HIV/Aids infection among teenagers and the new-born children in Isiolo county are alarming and need radical intervention.
According to the county HIV/Aids records, Isiolo has a prevalence rate of 1.8 per cent up from 1.3 reported last year.
The revelation was made during celebrations to mark the World Aids Day in Isiolo town Thursday, with leaders appealing for radical intervention to control the worrying trend.
The county HIV/Aids coordinator Mr Diba Galma said of the infection rate, women represent 2.7 per cent while male counterparts are at 1.3 percent.
He said that the new cases among the teenagers in one year are about 53 while the women who had infected their newborns represent 22.1 percent noting quick intervention from the government and partners was necessary.
Out of 3,347 people who live with the Aids causing virus in the county, only 65 percent of them have been voluntarily taking Anti-retrovirus drugs while the remaining 35 percent of the infected persons have kept away from taking the medicines.
He pointed out that the infection rate for Isiolo county was more than any other of the ASAL areas in the country giving an example of Marsabit which has a prevalence of 0.9 percent.
On teenage pregnancies, Isiolo County Commissioner (CC) Geoffrey Omoding warned parents who failed to report culprits who impregnate their teenage girls that the parents would be arrested alongside the suspects in a bid to curb the rampant vice.
Mr Omoding said 1,058 teenage girls were impregnated between January and November this year although he said at least the cases had dropped from the 2,256 recorded the previous year.
He observed that some parents were paid by the culprits to keep mum after kangaroo courts by village elders, leading to the affected girls dropping out of school while the culprits were free to roam and probably do the same on other girls.
He noted that new cases of infection in the area and especially among the young people were upsetting and a serious campaign strategy targeting the youth should be formulated by the County to control the high rate of spread.
Mr Omoding however said that the affected teenage girls should be rescued and be given a chance to go back to school.
