Rape in Kenya is one of the forms of sexual assaults. Rape is defined as sexual intercourse with another person without the consent of that person in Kenya. In many communities in Kenya, the issue of rape is considered as an abomination (sinful), and people who commit it are punished by the council of elders of that particular community in Kenya. For instance, among the Turkana community of Kenya, if you commit rape, you are going to be assembled by the village elders and forced to pay some cattle, sheep and goats. Then, a ritual for cleansing is performed to appease the spirits so as to avoid calamities in Kenya.

In the old days, there were no risks such as sexually transmitted diseases and other health related risks unlike in the modern Kenya where are there are many health risks associated with rape and they include:

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Kenya

Sexually transmitted diseases can be contracted if the perpetrator of the rape has any of the sexually transmitted diseases hence he/she can transmit them to the victim (the person who was raped). The victims of rape in Kenya can also have the diseases (STIs) and then infect the perpetrators of rape incident. Some of these include gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS.

Unwanted pregnancy in Kenya

The sperms deposited in the vagina of the victim can fertilize the ovum which can be viable and lead to pregnancy that the victim had not planned for.

Abortion in Kenya

This is the termination of pregnancy before 24 weeks of pregnancy. Those who have been raped and get pregnant can opt to terminate them because they consider it as an ‘outcast’ in the Kenyan community.

Physical injuries due to Rape

Injury can occur to the vagina wall. This can occur as a result of forceful sex intercourse in Kenya and struggling. If it is the child who is raped, there will be massive bleeding.

Isolation

Isolation usually happens to the children victims of rape in Kenya. Children who are raped, usually isolate themselves from others and sometimes do not participate in activities such as playing.

Suicide

Some Kenyan victims of rape can feel embarrassed  by the action of rape and opt to commit suicide.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

This is a condition that a person develops after the rape and it manifest as substance abuse and depression.

Stigma

The victims of the rape will remain disgraced for the whole of their life, and it is hard to recover from rape in Kenya.

In Kenya, if a perpetrator of rape is caught, he is taken to Court and can be jailed to a maximum of 21 years in prison. It is the responsibilities of the ladies of our communities to take caution of men especially at night or dangerous places such as forests. It is also advisable that when a person is raped, he/she should rush to report to the police authority and then attend hospital so as to be managed due to such trauma. Some forensic test can also be taken which can be used in the Court of Law when the perpetrator of the incident has been caught by the police in Kenya.

Skin bleaching/lightening is a process of reducing/blocking the concentration of melanin in order to whiten the skin or give a fairer complexion. This can be achieved by either applying a cream, getting a laser treatment or cryosurgery which involves the use of liquid nitrogen to remove patches/moles on the skin.

With celebrities leading the example, this practice is gaining popularity hence more beauty products are coming up both safe and unsafe. Some of these products have mercury which is harmful to the skin. Many websites are promoting this act by writing articles on how one can lighten their skin and how to get effective results.

In Kenya, a socialite/video vixen, Vera Sidika admitted to bleaching her skin in an interview on Nation TV, the trend and this caused both positive and negative reactions on social media. She went on and on about how she used 50 million shillings and how in 10 years she will look the same. The model also accused African-American singers, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna of whitening their skins. The model is proud of her new complexion and apparently it gets her more money.

Nigerian actress, Tonto Dikeh also confirmed the rumours about her skin bleaching on an interview. She had always been a light skinned girl but she was more comfortable in a fairer complexion. These celebrities have several reasons why they whiten their skins among them to feel good about themselves and get their career moving. The late Michael Jackson claimed he had a disease by name vitiligo hence needed to lighten his skin. Vitiligo is a skin disorder that causes differing areas of light and dark skin.

While getting a light skin makes one more beautiful, it comes with side effects and risks. Some of these effects are;

• Can cause permanent skin bleaching whereby the skin can never go back to the original color.

• Too much use of the lightening creams can lead to pigmentation, which affects the color of the skin.

• Irritation and redness of the skin.

• Uneven skin tone.

• Cancer.

• Skin gets exposed to the sun.

On a light note, some lightening creams are effective without too many risks but some can be fatal. The toxic-free creams are more costly, therefore, most people cannot afford.

If you have ever experienced backache, then you would appreciate the thought of a good massage service in Kenya. Kenyans are hardworking individuals, and in the course of doing work backaches and pains may result. In fact, back aches often come unannounced, and they cause untold pain. Some may be tempted to ignore such pains and only use painkillers. However, as your doctor in Kenya would tell you, painkillers only act to hide pain and not remove it completely. Due to the sensitive nature of your back and spinal cord, it is only prudent to employ the use of professionals in Kenya when it comes to massages. Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya is one of these professionals in giving massage services in Kenya.

Services offered at Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Nairobi

Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya offers a four-in-one service that is intended to take care of your aches and pain. Each session at Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya, lasting eighty minutes, includes a trigger and pressure point back massage service in Kenya. This effectively stimulates your pressure points and removes pain from your body. An infrared heat massage service by Gifted Touch Wellness Centre professionals in Kenya follows and it helps in given that in depth massage that may be missed by human hands. This is followed by hot towel session in Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya that is relaxing and a source of stress relieve. Lastly, you will be taken through a series of lower back exercises session in Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya which is intended to efficiently enhance your blood lymph circulation and overall good health in Kenya.

Why choose Gifted Touch Wellness Centre for massage services in Kenya?

The obvious reason is that chronic back ache and recurrent pains need to be dealt with by professionals in Kenya. Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya is equipped with specialized equipment and well trained professionals who will not only strive to relieve you of pain but also give you valuable suggestions to keep the pain away. The four-in-one massage sessions offered by Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya stimulate reflexes and enhance blood circulation. It soothes the tired muscles and leaves you refreshed and stress free.

Location of Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya

Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Nairobi is conveniently located on Chaka Road, off Argwings Kodhek Road in City of Nairobi. Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Nairobi is situated on the first floor at the Titan Complex in Nairobi. You can call ahead to book  with Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Nairobi through 0725 640 259. It is recommended to make your booking with Gifted Touch Wellness Centre in Kenya at least 24 hour in advance to ensure you are fit into the schedule. Do not take chances when it comes to your health in Kenya. Yes, back aches and muscle pains are undesired but with the right professionals in Massage services in Kenya, they need not bother you for long.

Cancer is a dangerous disease which has claimed many lives in Kenya mainly as a result of a deficiency in cancer care services. However, there have been concerted efforts by both the Kenya government and the private sector that have led to a steady rise and improvement in cancer treatment facilites.

The following is a list of hospitals which are equipped to handle different cases of the cancer menace:

Aga Khan University Hospital

This hospital is located along Limuru Road in Parklands, Nairobi. Services offered here include: specialised diagnostics, detection and screening programmes, palliative and rehabilitation programmes, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments.

Coast Province General Hospital

The hospital is located along Kisauni Road in Mombasa. It offers services like chemotherapy, cancer screening and surgery.

Beacon Health Services Cancer Treatment Center

This facility is located along 5th Ngong Avenue in Nairobi. It provides cancer diagnosis and outpatient services.

Kijabe Mission Hospital

Kijabe Mission Hospital is situated in Kijabe area. Services at the faciltiy include cancer screening, surgery and chemotherapy. palliative care is also offered here. It primarily handles cases of breast cancer, surgically treatable cervical cancer and Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)

KNH is located along Hospital Road in Nairobi. Services here include cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Mater Hospital

This facility offers testing services for leukemia, cervical, prostate and breast cancer. It also offers surgery and other cancer management services.

MP Shah Hospital/Cancer Care Center

It is along Shivachi Road in Parklands, Nairobi. Services at this facility include diagnosis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy cancer treatment options.

Moi Teaching and Referal Hospital

This is found in AMPATH Oncology Center in Eldoret town. It has other satellite clinics in Chulaimbo (Kisumu), Webuye, Turbo, Kitale, Busia and Mosoriot. Services include screening, diagnosis, treatment and education.

Nairobi Hospital

This is located along Argwings Khodek Road in Nairobi. It provides cancer screening and treatment services.

Nairobi Hospice

It is situated in the Kenyatta National Hospital Complex in Nairobi. Services at the facility include home-based palliative care and outpatient services for cancer and other terminal illnesses.

Tenwek Mission Hospital

This is found in Bomet, Rift Valley. It provides limited screening and treatment services for cancer. It also offers palliateve care, stenting for esophageal as well as management of other terminal illnesses.

Nairobi Women’s Hospital

This is located in Hurlingham, Nairobi. The facility offers gynecologic oncology testing and treatment as well fee-based cervical screening and free breast screening.

Texas Cancer Center

The center is located along Argwings Khodek Grove in Hurlingham, Nairobi. It offers cancer screening and treatment services. 

HIV is a pandemic in Kenya. It is very important for every health care provider working in Kenya hospital set-up to understand the life cycle of HIV because it is a required concept when initiating antiretroviral treatment (ARV)  in Kenya. These ARVs target the HIV virus at different life cycle. If you look at the Nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors class of ARVs in Kenya, it targets the HIV enzyme reverse transcriptase while the protease inhibitors class of ARVs targets the enzyme protease. In a nutshell, it is important for the health care providers who work in the comprehensive care centre (CCC) in Kenya that is located in many Governmental hospital in Kenya such as Kakamega Provincial General hospital where they dispense drugs to the people living with HIV/AIDS infection in Kenya to also the concept as they will be targeting enzymes at different life cycle as give the drugs.

Government of Kenya through the ministry of health has ensured that in every hospital in Kenya, there exist a section (unit) that deals with the patient of HIV/AIDS in Kenya which also dispenses the ARV drugs in Kenya alongside nutrition and other management. Even in the health centres in Kenya, there is a comprehensive care centre (CCC) for the HIV/AIDS people for when you visit Bukura health centre in Western Kenya, they have a section of CCC where they management the patients living with HIV/AIDS on the out-patient basis.

These drugs (ARVs) are supplied by the Kenyan Government through the Ministry of Health to all hospitals that belong to the Government. The HIV undergoes six phases in Kenya for it to fully infect human being. This phase include;

 • Binding and entry

• Reverse transcription.

• Integration

• Replication

• Budding

• Maturation

 Binding and entry

HIV binds into a cell by interaction between HIV envelope, gp, and the CD4+ receptors and the core receptors. The major core receptors are CCR4 and CXCR4. This results to fusion of HIV membrane with CD4 membrane. These allow only the core of HIV to enter CD4. The rest are discarded , that is membrane and envelope protein. CD4 cell enzymes interact with the core of HIV in Kenya and stimulate the release of viral RNA and viral enzymes; reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase.

Reverse transcription

HIV RNA is converted to DNA before incorporation into DNA of CD4 cell. The conversion process is called reverse transcription and is mediated by HIV reverse transcriptase. The result is the production of single stranded of DNA from single stranded of RNA which undergoes replication into double stranded HIV DNA.

Integration

The HIV DNA is inserted into the CD4 cell DNA by the aid of the enzyme integrase and this process is known as integration. These transform the CD4 cell into a ‘machine’ that will be used to produce more HIV particles.

Replication

The new HIV DNA causes the production of mRNA that initiates the synthesis of HIV proteins. Budding. The HIV proteins and viral RNA, all components needed to make a new virus, gather at the CD4 membrane to form new viruses. These new viruses push through different parts of CD4 walls by budding (open out). These new viruses leave the CD4 cell to infect other CD4 cells.

Maturation

The new virus has to undergo maturation to enable them to infect other CD4 cells. In maturation, the HIV protease enzyme cuts the long HIV protein of the virus into smaller functional units that then be assembled into form a mature virus. The virus is now ready to infect other cells.

That is the life cycle of HIV in Kenya.

Waterborne diseases are killing a lot of people in the country and several other dangerous diseases continuing to be persistent in the lives of many. The population of Kenya is encountering a lot of delay and the economic growth is slowly diminishing each and every day of life. Experts have come up with the following measures of controlling waterborne diseases.

Boiling water

It is the most effective water treatment method that cone can use to treat water. Boiling water kills germs and any worms that may be responsible for spreading diseases hence it becomes safe for one to consume and take it in plenty. People are advised to boil water before drinking so that they can avoid high risks of getting infected. Education needs to be done through campaigns to encourage people on ways of controlling water borne by boiling.

Proper use of latrines

It has come to the attention of medical experts that many people in the country have poor behaviors by responding to calls in rivers or near water bodies that are used by people. It is encouraged by medical tacticians to use the pit latrines in a more efficient way so that they can be of help in eradicating germs that are spread through urine and fecal matter. It is important for the government to take the initiative of building more pit latrines so as to help people avoid getting infected.

Treating water with chemicals

The medical field of Kenya has provided a lot of chemicals that can be used to treat and make water safe for drinking. It is important that one buys chemicals when they have money and treat their water sources by simply putting the correct amounts of quantities in water bodies. Chemicals however can be dangerous when they are not properly utilized hence great care needs to be taken.

Proper disposal of waste

People should be taught on better ways of disposing waste by simply using the right types of procedures that can help people know what to do and how to respond to various issues arising from waste materials.