Gov’t Raises Alarm as Safari Rally Fanatics in Naivasha Reject Condoms, Ask for PEP Tablets
The government has voiced concerns about a large number of young people seeking PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) to prevent HIV after unprotected intercourse.
During a briefing, Ruth Laibon-Masha, chair of the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), said that the danger has already happened due to excessive demand.
She said that majority of the adolescents who sought the pills during the 2024 WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha claimed to have indulged in unprotected sex while intoxicated.
“Demand for post-exposure is high which means more people are having unprotected sex, with high-risk individuals.When there is high demand for PEP, it means unprotected risk sex has already happened. All they said is that they were using condoms, which burst, or were drunk when having sex,” Masha disclosed.
Masha said that they had hired over 100 health professionals for the Safari Rally in Naivasha to increase awareness among young people.
She said that, despite having supplied over 200,000 condoms, health authorities were worried that the majority of young people chose PEP pills.
“We have a challenge because young people are waiting for risk to happen then they come. What they need are condoms or Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP), which must be taken seven days prior to exposure,” she added.
According to the specialists, continued use of the medicine raises the dangers since users develop drug resistance in the case of a future illness.
The first PEP dose should be administered within two hours of exposure and no later than 72 hours after exposure.
Masha stated that in 2023, 117 people tested positive while using PEP, with the occurrences being due to misuse or taking it late.
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Gov’t Raises Alarm as Safari Rally Fanatics in Naivasha Reject Condoms, Ask for PEP Tablets
