Homa Bay County is experiencing a worrying shift in health trends, with anaemia and HIV/AIDS emerging as the top causes of death, surpassing pneumonia, malaria, and hypertension, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The new data highlights the persistent threat of preventable and treatable conditions in a county that has struggled to reduce mortality despite ongoing health interventions.
Anaemia is now the leading cause of death in health facilities, claiming 176 lives, closely followed by HIV/AIDS with 154 fatalities.
The persistence of HIV/AIDS in the region is linked to long-standing social and economic challenges.
High levels of poverty, entrenched gender inequality, and the ongoing sex-for-fish trade along Lake Victoria place many women and girls at risk of infection.
Limited healthcare access and unequal household and community power structures further drive the spread of the disease, keeping infection rates high across multiple sub-counties.
Historical patterns show AIDS and pneumonia as the main causes of death between 2019 and 2021. In 2019, AIDS accounted for 124 fatalities, with anaemia causing 80 deaths and malaria 78. In 2020, AIDS remained the leading killer with 129 deaths, followed by pneumonia with 114 and hypertension with 106.
By 2022, the toll from anaemia had surged to 168 deaths, surpassing pneumonia at 145 deaths and AIDS at 110. Experts attribute the rise in anaemia-related fatalities to poor nutrition, reproductive health issues among women, and delays in diagnosis and treatment.
The combination of anaemia and HIV/AIDS is creating a dual strain on the county’s already limited health resources.
HIV cases among adults above 25 years have continued to rise, increasing from 108,412 in 2022 to 113,818 in 2023. Women remain the most affected, with infections growing from 71,877 to 75,693, while men rose from 36,535 to 38,125.
These numbers reflect individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy across sub-counties including Ndhiwa, Rachuonyo, Rangwe, and Suba.
The Global Fund has warned that “declining international funding is jeopardising the fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria and with it, global health security.”
