Nairobi — HIV/Aids prevalence rate in Homa Bay District has risen from 26 per cent to 36 per cent making it the highest in Nyanza Province.

The district has now overtaken Suba whose prevalence rate remains at 34 per cent.

And there are over 100,000 Aids orphans in the district, the director of the National Aids Control Council, Dr Patrick Orege said on Sunday.

He said unless there was behavioural change at community level, the fight against the scourge was doomed to fail.

He said although Homa Bay was among the few districts in the country with the largest number of HIV/Aids infections, new cases appear to be decreasing nationwide because of preventive steps taken by those who cannot abstain from sex.

He said the national Aids prevalence rate had now reduced from 11 to 4 per cent.

"Despite the rising infection rate in some districts, the decline in other districts has created a balance in the national prevalence rate," he said.

Orege said districts around Lake Victoria should step up the fight against HIV/Aids because they had the highest rate of infection in Kenya

"We can meet here and discuss all matters concerning HIV/Aids but without consistent and meaningful improvement at the grassroots level, then we won't go very far," Orege said

He was speaking during the launch of Rangwe Aids control committee presided over by Assistant minister for Health Gedion Konchellah.

The function was also attended by Rangwe MP Philip Okundi and the area District Commissioner, Mr Clement Kiteme, among others.