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BBC News
04-08-2025
- BBC News
Secret filming expose 'madams' involved for Kenya child-sex trade
One BBC Africa Eye investigation don expose how women, wey dey known as "madams", don chook children as young as 13 into prostitution for Kenya. For di transit town of Maai Mahiu, for Kenya Rift Valley, trucks and lorries dey waka di streets day and night dey transport goods and pipo across di kontri into Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, plus di Democratic Republic of Congo. Di key transport hub, wey be just 50km (31 miles) east of di capital, Nairobi, dey known for prostitution, but na also breeding ground for child sexual abuse. Two undercover investigators, wey pose as sex workers wey wan learn how to become madams, bin spend months earlier dis year penetrating di sex trade for di town. Dia secret filming reveal two different women wey tok say dem know say e dey illegal and dem introduce di investigators to underage girls for di sex industry. Di BBC bin give all dia evidence to di Kenyan police for March. Di BBC believe say di madam don move location since den. Di police say dem no fit trace di women and young girls we feem. To date, dem neva make any arrests. To declare pesin guilty dey rare for Kenya. For successful prosecutions, police need testimonies from children. Often vulnerable minors wey dey too afraid to testify. BBC small-small footage wey dem feem for di street in di dark bin show one woman, wey call herself Nyambura, she dey laugh as she say: "Dem still be children, so e dey easy to manipulate dem wit just sweets." "Prostitution na cash crop for Maai Mahiu; di truckers basically dey ginger am. And dat na how we benefit. Dem don normalise am for Maai Mahiu," she explain, and add say she get one girl as young as 13, wey already don dey "work" for six months. "E become very risky wen you dey deal wit minors. You no fit just bring dem out openly in town. I dey only sneak dem comot at night in great secrecy," Nyambura tok. Di act of prostitution by consenting adult no be criminal offence under Kenyan national law but many municipal by-laws don ban am. E no dey banned for Maai Mahiu, wey be part of Nakuru county. Under di penal code, e dey illegal to live from di profit of prostitution, either as a sex worker or third party wey dey facilitate or profit from prostitution. Di trafficking or sale of minors under di age of 18 carry prison sentence wey range from 10 years to life. Wen dem ask Nyambura weda di clients dey wear condoms, she say she dey usually make sure say dem use protection but some still get strong head. "Some children wan earn more money [so dem no go use am]. Dem dey force some of dem [not to use condom]," she tok. For anoda meeting, she bin lead di undercover investigator go one house wia three young girls sidon on top one chair, anoda one sidon on one hard-backed chair. Nyambura later comot di room, wey give investigator opportunity to follow di girls tok alone. Di girls describe say dem face sexual abuse repeatedly on a daily basis. "Sometimes you fit have sex wit multiple pipo. Di clients go force you to do unimaginable tins," one of di girls tok. No recent statistics dey ground on di number of children wey dey forced to work for Kenya sex industry. For 2012, di US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kenya bin cite estimate of 30,000, one figure dem get from Kenyan govment and now defunct non-governmental organisation (NGO), Eradicate Child Prostitution for Kenya. Oda studies focus on specific areas, especially along di kontri coast – wey dey known for dia tourist resorts. One 2022 report for di NGO Global Fund to End Modern Slavery reveal say dem dey force almost 2,500 children into sex work for Kilifi and Kwale counties. One second undercover investigator bin gain di trust of one woman wey call herself Cheptoo and e hold plenty meetings wit her. She say selling young girls mean say she fit "earn a living and be comfortable". "You carry out dis kind of business in great secrecy becos e dey illegal," she tok. "If anyone tok say dem want young girl, I go ask dem to pay me. We also get our regulars who dey always come back for dem." Cheptoo carry di undercover investigator go one club to meet four of her girls. Di youngest tok say she be 13 years old. Di odas say dem be 15. She tok about di profit she dey make from dem, she say for every 3,000 Kenyan shillings ($23; £17) di girls dey deliver, her share na 2,500 shillings ($19; £14). For anoda meeting, for one house for Maai Mahiu, Cheptoo leave di undercover investigator alone wit two underage girls. One of dem tell her say on average, she dey have sex wit five men a day. Wen dem ask wetin go happun if she no gree to have sex without condom, she say she no get choice. "I have to [have sex without a condom]. Dem go drive me comot, and I no get anywia to run to. I be orphan." Kenya sex industry dey complex, na dark world wia both men and women get hand in facilitating child prostitution. E no dey clear how many children dey forced into sex work for Maai Mahiu, but for dis small town of around 50,000, pipo e dey easy to find dem. One former sex worker, wey pipo sabi as "Baby Girl", now dey provide protection for Maai Mahiu for girls wey escape sexual abuse. Di 61-year-old bin work for di sex industry for 40 years – she bin first see herself on di streets in her early twenties. She bin dey pregnant and she get three young children wit her afta she run leave her husband sake of domestic violence. For her wooden kitchen table for one bright parlour for di front of her house, she introduce BBC to four young women wey all of dem dey forced into sex work by madams for Maai Mahiu wen dem be children. Each girl share similar stories of broken families or abuse at home – dem come to Maai Mahiu to escape, only to dey violently abused again. Michelle describe how, at 12 years old, she lost her parents to HIV and dem drive her to di streets wia she meet one man who give her somewhere to live and begin dey sexually abuse her. "I literally get to pay am in kind for educating me. I reach my limit, but I no get anybody," she tok. Two years later, one woman wey turn out to be a madam for Maai Mahiu bin approach her and force her into sex work.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Secret filming exposes the 'madams' involved in Kenya's child-sex trade
A BBC Africa Eye investigation has revealed how women, known as "madams", have involved children as young as 13 in prostitution in Kenya. In the transit town of Maai Mahiu, in Kenya's Rift Valley, trucks and lorries pound the streets day and night transporting goods and people across the country into Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The key transport hub, just 50km (31 miles) east of the capital, Nairobi, is known for prostitution, but it is also a breeding ground for child sexual abuse. Two undercover investigators, posing as sex workers wanting to learn how to become madams, spent months earlier this year infiltrating the sex trade in the town. Their secret filming reveals two different women who say they know it is illegal and then introduce the investigators to underage girls in the sex industry. The BBC gave all its evidence to the Kenyan police in March. The BBC believes the madams have moved location since then. The police said the women and young girls we filmed could not be traced. To date there have been no arrests. Convictions are rare in Kenya. For successful prosecutions, police need testimonies from children. Often vulnerable minors are too afraid to testify. The BBC's grainy footage filmed on the street in the dark showed one woman, who calls herself Nyambura, laughing as she says: "They're still children, so it's easy to manipulate them by just handing them sweets." "Prostitution is a cash crop in Maai Mahiu; the truckers basically fuel it. And that's how we benefit. It's been normalised in Maai Mahiu," she explained, adding that she had one girl as young as 13, who had already been "working" for six months. "It becomes very risky when you're dealing with minors. You can't just bring them out openly in town. I only sneak them out at night in great secrecy," Nyambura said. The act of prostitution by a consenting adult is not explicitly criminalised under Kenyan national law but it is banned by many municipal by-laws. It is not banned in Maai Mahiu, which is part of Nakuru county. Under the penal code it is illegal to live from the earnings of prostitution, either as a sex worker or third party facilitating or profiting from prostitution. The trafficking or sale of minors under the age of 18 carries a prison sentence ranging from 10 years to life. When asked whether the clients wear condoms, Nyambura said she usually made sure they had protection but the odd one did not. "Some children want to earn more [so don't use them]. Some are forced [not to use them]," she said. In another meeting, she led the undercover investigator to a house where three young girls sat huddled on a sofa, another on a hard-backed chair. Nyambura then left the room, giving the investigator an opportunity to speak to the girls alone. They described being repeatedly abused for sex, on a daily basis. "Sometimes you have sex with multiple people. The clients force you to do unimaginable things," said one of the girls. There are no recent statistics on the number of children forced to work in Kenya's sex industry. In 2012, the US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kenya cited an estimate of 30,000, a figure derived from the Kenyan government and now defunct non-governmental organisation (NGO), Eradicate Child Prostitution in Kenya. Other studies have focused on specific areas, especially along the country's coast - known for its tourist resorts. A 2022 report for the NGO Global Fund to End Modern Slavery found almost 2,500 children were forced into sex work in Kilifi and Kwale counties. A second undercover investigator gained the trust of a woman who called herself Cheptoo and had multiple meetings with her. She said selling young girls meant she could "earn a living and be comfortable". "You carry out this kind of business in great secrecy because it is illegal," she said. "If anyone says they want a young girl, I ask them to pay me. We also have our regulars who always come back for them." Cheptoo took the undercover investigator to a club to meet four of her girls. The youngest said she was 13 years old. The others said they were 15. She opened up about the profit she makes from them, saying for every 3,000 Kenyan shillings ($23; £17) the girls deliver, her share was 2,500 shillings ($19; £14). At another meeting, in a house in Maai Mahiu, Cheptoo left the undercover investigator alone with two underage girls. One of them told her she had, on average, sex with five men a day. When asked what happened if she refused to have sex without a condom, she said she had no choice. "I have to [have sex without a condom]. I will be chased away, and I have nowhere to run to. I am an orphan." People outside the UK can watch here Kenya's sex industry is a complex, murky world where both men and women are involved in facilitating child prostitution. It is not known how many children are forced into sex work in Maai Mahiu, but in this small town of around 50,000 people it is easy to find them. A former sex worker, known as "Baby Girl", now provides refuge in Maai Mahiu for girls who have escaped sexual abuse. The 61-year-old worked in the sex industry for 40 years - first finding herself on the streets in her early twenties. She was pregnant and had her three young children with her after fleeing her husband because of domestic violence. At her wooden kitchen table in a bright parlour at the front of her house, she introduced the BBC to four young women who were all forced into sex work by madams in Maai Mahiu when they were children. Each girl shared similar stories of broken families or abuse at home - they came to Maai Mahiu to escape, only to be violently abused again. Michelle described how, at 12 years old, she lost her parents to HIV and was evicted on to the streets where she met a man who gave her somewhere to live and began sexually abusing her. "I literally had to pay him in kind for educating me. I reached my limit, but I had no-one," she said. Two years later, she was approached by a woman who turned out to be a madam in Maai Mahiu and forced her into sex work. Lilian, who is now 19, also lost her parents at a very young age. She was left with an uncle who filmed her in the shower and sold the images to his friends. The voyeurism soon turned into rape. "That was my worst day. I was 12 then." When she escaped, she was raped again by a truck driver who took her to Maai Mahiu. It was here, like Michelle, where she was approached by a woman who forced her into sex work. These young women's short lives have been fuelled by violence, neglect and abuse. Now, housed by Baby Girl, they are learning new skills - two in a photography studio and two in a beauty salon. They also assist Baby Girl with her outreach work in the community. Nakuru county has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in Kenya, and Baby Girl, supported by US aid agency USAID, is on a mission to educate people about the risks of unprotected sex. She has an office at Karagita Community Health Centre, near Lake Naivasha, where she works providing condoms and advice. However, with US President Donald Trump's decision to pull USAID funding, her outreach programmes are about to stop. "From September we will be unemployed," she told the BBC World Service, adding how worried she was about the young women and girls who depend on her. "You see how vulnerable these children are. How would they survive on their own? They are still healing." The US government did not respond to comments in this investigation about the likely impact of its funding cuts. USAID officially closed last month. For now, Lilian is focused on learning photography and recovering from abuse. "I am not afraid any more, because Baby Girl is there for me," she said. "She is helping us bury the past." More from BBC Africa Eye: Caught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfare 'They aimed to kill' - BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters Sudan's years of war - BBC smuggles in phones to reveal hunger and fear 'Terrible things happened' - inside TB Joshua's church of horrors How a Malawi WhatsApp group helped save women trafficked to Oman Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Secret filming exposes the 'madams' involved in Kenya's child-sex trade
A BBC Africa Eye investigation has revealed how women, known as "madams", have involved children as young as 13 in prostitution in Kenya. In the transit town of Maai Mahiu, in Kenya's Rift Valley, trucks and lorries pound the streets day and night transporting goods and people across the country into Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The key transport hub, just 50km (31 miles) east of the capital, Nairobi, is known for prostitution, but it is also a breeding ground for child sexual abuse. Two undercover investigators, posing as sex workers wanting to learn how to become madams, spent months earlier this year infiltrating the sex trade in the town. Their secret filming reveals two different women who say they know it is illegal and then introduce the investigators to underage girls in the sex industry. The BBC gave all its evidence to the Kenyan police in March. The BBC believes the madams have moved location since then. The police said the women and young girls we filmed could not be traced. To date there have been no arrests. Convictions are rare in Kenya. For successful prosecutions, police need testimonies from children. Often vulnerable minors are too afraid to testify. The BBC's grainy footage filmed on the street in the dark showed one woman, who calls herself Nyambura, laughing as she says: "They're still children, so it's easy to manipulate them by just handing them sweets." "Prostitution is a cash crop in Maai Mahiu; the truckers basically fuel it. And that's how we benefit. It's been normalised in Maai Mahiu," she explained, adding that she had one girl as young as 13, who had already been "working" for six months. "It becomes very risky when you're dealing with minors. You can't just bring them out openly in town. I only sneak them out at night in great secrecy," Nyambura said. The act of prostitution by a consenting adult is not explicitly criminalised under Kenyan national law but it is banned by many municipal by-laws. It is not banned in Maai Mahiu, which is part of Nakuru county. Under the penal code it is illegal to live from the earnings of prostitution, either as a sex worker or third party facilitating or profiting from prostitution. The trafficking or sale of minors under the age of 18 carries a prison sentence ranging from 10 years to life. When asked whether the clients wear condoms, Nyambura said she usually made sure they had protection but the odd one did not. "Some children want to earn more [so don't use them]. Some are forced [not to use them]," she said. In another meeting, she led the undercover investigator to a house where three young girls sat huddled on a sofa, another on a hard-backed chair. Nyambura then left the room, giving the investigator an opportunity to speak to the girls alone. They described being repeatedly abused for sex, on a daily basis. "Sometimes you have sex with multiple people. The clients force you to do unimaginable things," said one of the girls. There are no recent statistics on the number of children forced to work in Kenya's sex industry. In 2012, the US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kenya cited an estimate of 30,000, a figure derived from the Kenyan government and now defunct non-governmental organisation (NGO), Eradicate Child Prostitution in Kenya. Other studies have focused on specific areas, especially along the country's coast - known for its tourist resorts. A 2022 report for the NGO Global Fund to End Modern Slavery found almost 2,500 children were forced into sex work in Kilifi and Kwale counties. A second undercover investigator gained the trust of a woman who called herself Cheptoo and had multiple meetings with her. She said selling young girls meant she could "earn a living and be comfortable". "You carry out this kind of business in great secrecy because it is illegal," she said. "If anyone says they want a young girl, I ask them to pay me. We also have our regulars who always come back for them." Cheptoo took the undercover investigator to a club to meet four of her girls. The youngest said she was 13 years old. The others said they were 15. She opened up about the profit she makes from them, saying for every 3,000 Kenyan shillings ($23; £17) the girls deliver, her share was 2,500 shillings ($19; £14). At another meeting, in a house in Maai Mahiu, Cheptoo left the undercover investigator alone with two underage girls. One of them told her she had, on average, sex with five men a day. When asked what happened if she refused to have sex without a condom, she said she had no choice. "I have to [have sex without a condom]. I will be chased away, and I have nowhere to run to. I am an orphan." People outside the UK can watch here Kenya's sex industry is a complex, murky world where both men and women are involved in facilitating child prostitution. It is not known how many children are forced into sex work in Maai Mahiu, but in this small town of around 50,000 people it is easy to find them. A former sex worker, known as "Baby Girl", now provides refuge in Maai Mahiu for girls who have escaped sexual abuse. The 61-year-old worked in the sex industry for 40 years - first finding herself on the streets in her early twenties. She was pregnant and had her three young children with her after fleeing her husband because of domestic violence. At her wooden kitchen table in a bright parlour at the front of her house, she introduced the BBC to four young women who were all forced into sex work by madams in Maai Mahiu when they were children. Each girl shared similar stories of broken families or abuse at home - they came to Maai Mahiu to escape, only to be violently abused again. Michelle described how, at 12 years old, she lost her parents to HIV and was evicted on to the streets where she met a man who gave her somewhere to live and began sexually abusing her. "I literally had to pay him in kind for educating me. I reached my limit, but I had no-one," she said. Two years later, she was approached by a woman who turned out to be a madam in Maai Mahiu and forced her into sex work. Lilian, who is now 19, also lost her parents at a very young age. She was left with an uncle who filmed her in the shower and sold the images to his friends. The voyeurism soon turned into rape. "That was my worst day. I was 12 then." When she escaped, she was raped again by a truck driver who took her to Maai Mahiu. It was here, like Michelle, where she was approached by a woman who forced her into sex work. These young women's short lives have been fuelled by violence, neglect and abuse. Now, housed by Baby Girl, they are learning new skills - two in a photography studio and two in a beauty salon. They also assist Baby Girl with her outreach work in the community. Nakuru county has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in Kenya, and Baby Girl, supported by US aid agency USAID, is on a mission to educate people about the risks of unprotected sex. She has an office at Karagita Community Health Centre, near Lake Naivasha, where she works providing condoms and advice. However, with US President Donald Trump's decision to pull USAID funding, her outreach programmes are about to stop. "From September we will be unemployed," she told the BBC World Service, adding how worried she was about the young women and girls who depend on her. "You see how vulnerable these children are. How would they survive on their own? They are still healing." The US government did not respond to comments in this investigation about the likely impact of its funding cuts. USAID officially closed last month. For now, Lilian is focused on learning photography and recovering from abuse. "I am not afraid any more, because Baby Girl is there for me," she said. "She is helping us bury the past." More from BBC Africa Eye: Caught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfare 'They aimed to kill' - BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters Sudan's years of war - BBC smuggles in phones to reveal hunger and fear 'Terrible things happened' - inside TB Joshua's church of horrors How a Malawi WhatsApp group helped save women trafficked to Oman Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa
BBC News
04-08-2025
- BBC News
Kenya's child sex trade: BBC Africa Eye's secret filming exposes the 'madams' of Maai Mahiu
A BBC Africa Eye investigation has revealed how women, known as "madams", have involved children as young as 13 in prostitution in the transit town of Maai Mahiu, in Kenya's Rift Valley, trucks and lorries pound the streets day and night transporting goods and people across the country into Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of key transport hub, just 50km (31 miles) east of the capital, Nairobi, is known for prostitution, but it is also a breeding ground for child sexual undercover investigators, posing as sex workers wanting to learn how to become madams, spent months earlier this year infiltrating the sex trade in the secret filming reveals two different women who say they know it is illegal and then introduce the investigators to underage girls in the sex BBC gave all its evidence to the Kenyan police in March. The BBC believes the madams have moved location since then. The police said the women and young girls we filmed could not be traced. To date there have been no are rare in Kenya. For successful prosecutions, police need testimonies from children. Often vulnerable minors are too afraid to BBC's grainy footage filmed on the street in the dark showed one woman, who calls herself Nyambura, laughing as she says: "They're still children, so it's easy to manipulate them by just handing them sweets." "Prostitution is a cash crop in Maai Mahiu; the truckers basically fuel it. And that's how we benefit. It's been normalised in Maai Mahiu," she explained, adding that she had one girl as young as 13, who had already been "working" for six months."It becomes very risky when you're dealing with minors. You can't just bring them out openly in town. I only sneak them out at night in great secrecy," Nyambura act of prostitution by a consenting adult is not explicitly criminalised under Kenyan national law but it is banned by many municipal by-laws. It is not banned in Maai Mahiu, which is part of Nakuru the penal code it is illegal to live from the earnings of prostitution, either as a sex worker or third party facilitating or profiting from trafficking or sale of minors under the age of 18 carries a prison sentence ranging from 10 years to asked whether the clients wear condoms, Nyambura said she usually made sure they had protection but the odd one did not."Some children want to earn more [so don't use them]. Some are forced [not to use them]," she another meeting, she led the undercover investigator to a house where three young girls sat huddled on a sofa, another on a hard-backed then left the room, giving the investigator an opportunity to speak to the girls described being repeatedly abused for sex, on a daily basis."Sometimes you have sex with multiple people. The clients force you to do unimaginable things," said one of the girls. There are no recent statistics on the number of children forced to work in Kenya's sex industry. In 2012, the US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kenya cited an estimate of 30,000, a figure derived from the Kenyan government and now defunct non-governmental organisation (NGO), Eradicate Child Prostitution in studies have focused on specific areas, especially along the country's coast - known for its tourist resorts. A 2022 report for the NGO Global Fund to End Modern Slavery found almost 2,500 children were forced into sex work in Kilifi and Kwale counties.A second undercover investigator gained the trust of a woman who called herself Cheptoo and had multiple meetings with said selling young girls meant she could "earn a living and be comfortable"."You carry out this kind of business in great secrecy because it is illegal," she said."If anyone says they want a young girl, I ask them to pay me. We also have our regulars who always come back for them."Cheptoo took the undercover investigator to a club to meet four of her girls. The youngest said she was 13 years old. The others said they were opened up about the profit she makes from them, saying for every 3,000 Kenyan shillings ($23; £17) the girls deliver, her share was 2,500 shillings ($19; £14).At another meeting, in a house in Maai Mahiu, Cheptoo left the undercover investigator alone with two underage of them told her she had, on average, sex with five men a asked what happened if she refused to have sex without a condom, she said she had no choice."I have to [have sex without a condom]. I will be chased away, and I have nowhere to run to. I am an orphan." People outside the UK can watch here Kenya's sex industry is a complex, murky world where both men and women are involved in facilitating child is not known how many children are forced into sex work in Maai Mahiu, but in this small town of around 50,000 people it is easy to find them.A former sex worker, known as "Baby Girl", now provides refuge in Maai Mahiu for girls who have escaped sexual 61-year-old worked in the sex industry for 40 years - first finding herself on the streets in her early twenties. She was pregnant and had her three young children with her after fleeing her husband because of domestic her wooden kitchen table in a bright parlour at the front of her house, she introduced the BBC to four young women who were all forced into sex work by madams in Maai Mahiu when they were girl shared similar stories of broken families or abuse at home - they came to Maai Mahiu to escape, only to be violently abused described how, at 12 years old, she lost her parents to HIV and was evicted on to the streets where she met a man who gave her somewhere to live and began sexually abusing her."I literally had to pay him in kind for educating me. I reached my limit, but I had no-one," she years later, she was approached by a woman who turned out to be a madam in Maai Mahiu and forced her into sex work. Lilian, who is now 19, also lost her parents at a very young age. She was left with an uncle who filmed her in the shower and sold the images to his friends. The voyeurism soon turned into rape."That was my worst day. I was 12 then."When she escaped, she was raped again by a truck driver who took her to Maai Mahiu. It was here, like Michelle, where she was approached by a woman who forced her into sex young women's short lives have been fuelled by violence, neglect and housed by Baby Girl, they are learning new skills - two in a photography studio and two in a beauty also assist Baby Girl with her outreach work in the county has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in Kenya, and Baby Girl, supported by US aid agency USAID, is on a mission to educate people about the risks of unprotected has an office at Karagita Community Health Centre, near Lake Naivasha, where she works providing condoms and with US President Donald Trump's decision to pull USAID funding, her outreach programmes are about to stop. "From September we will be unemployed," she told the BBC World Service, adding how worried she was about the young women and girls who depend on her."You see how vulnerable these children are. How would they survive on their own? They are still healing."The US government did not respond to comments in this investigation about the likely impact of its funding cuts. USAID officially closed last now, Lilian is focused on learning photography and recovering from abuse."I am not afraid any more, because Baby Girl is there for me," she said. "She is helping us bury the past." More from BBC Africa Eye: Caught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfare'They aimed to kill' - BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersSudan's years of war - BBC smuggles in phones to reveal hunger and fear'Terrible things happened' - inside TB Joshua's church of horrorsHow a Malawi WhatsApp group helped save women trafficked to Oman Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
New York Post
27-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
‘Hidden risk' of widely-used prescription drugs — you're more likely to get the flu and Covid while on them
Since we take prescription drugs to feel better, it's alarming to think that some common ones can actually make you more sick. But that's precisely what a shocking new study out of Norway has revealed. 'We have found a surprising and potentially serious side effect of a class of anti-inflammatory drugs. They can help viruses spread more easily in the body,' Denis Kainov, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), said in a press release. Advertisement A new study has found some common drugs can actually make you more sick. Getty Images Janus kinase inhibitors — also known as JAKs — are commonly prescribed for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. You might know them by their brand names, such as Xeljanz, Olumiant and Rinvoq. But while they may ease inflammatory conditions, it seems they can also inflame your chances of catching a nasty bug. Advertisement 'Among the viruses that more easily affect the body with the help of these drugs are Rift Valley fever virus, influenza A, adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,' Kainov said. Kainov and his team found that these drugs can suppress interferon-stimulated genes, which play a crucial role in the body's response to viral infections, thereby facilitating the spread of viruses. They therefore urge medical professionals to exercise caution when prescribing these drugs to patients who might be at risk. 'Among the viruses that more easily affect the body with the help of these drugs are Rift Valley fever virus, influenza A, adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,' Kainov said. Getty Images Advertisement 'We recommend further studies to better understand how the drugs can be used optimally, especially during virus outbreaks or pandemics,' Aleksandr Ianevski, an NTNU researcher, said. JAKs aren't the only class of medication to make headlines recently for some unpleasant side effects. Other common drugs, such as statins — which are meant to lower cholesterol — and certain medications for high blood pressure have also been implicated in exposing patients to a higher risk of infection. Advertisement In a somewhat more bizarre twist, reports reviewed by the BBC suggest some common drugs that are meant to treat Parkinson's and other movement disorders have been pushing people into sexually deviant behavior. And the FDA recently issued a warning about generic versions of a widely-used hair loss drug — finasteride — that is frequently distributed by popular telehealth brands like Hims and Keeps, after dozens of users reported sexual dysfunction, brain fog and suicidal thoughts.
