UN-Led Alliance Says 2,500 Youths Infected Daily with HIV, Calls for Leadership, Education

Elders must support youths in changing the behaviors that put young people at risk of HIV/AIDS, says a new report from a UN-led partnership that includes the World Bank and the International Labor Organization.

Having multiple sex partners - and especially older partners, who are more likely to be HIV-positive - “is fueling HIV transmission among young people, particularly young women,” says the study, “Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood.” The report estimates that 2,500 youths are newly infected with HIV each day.

Poverty and unemployment, both of which can push young people into sex work, must be addressed, the report says. The discrimination females routinely face can leave them powerless to refuse sex, negotiate safer sex or demand fidelity in a partner. Many teens lack basic information about AIDS and access to HIV testing services, the report notes.

“We must protect the second decade of life, so that the journey from childhood to adulthood is not derailed by HIV, a journey that is especially fraught for girls and young women,” said UNICEF Director Anthony Lake.

Among persons over age 15 diagnosed with HIV in 2009, 41 percent were ages 15-24, the report says.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!