HIV in Youths Could Double by 2030, Says UNICEF Lucy Westcott - Newsweek
go to original December 1, 2016

HIV in Numbers: Since that start of the Aids epidemic, 78 million people have become infected with HIV. Of those, 35 million have died from Aids-related illnesses. (IBTimes UK)

The number of new HIV infections among adolescents around the world is set to rise sharply unless more is done to fight the epidemic, according to a new report from Unicef.

The U.N. children’s agency said annual new infections in adolescents are projected to increase from 250,000 in 2015 to nearly 400,000 in 2030 in its report, launched to coincide with World AIDS Day on December 1. AIDS remains a leading cause of death among adolescents: In 2015, 41,000 children aged 10 and 19 died from AIDS, according to Unicef. If the trend continues, it could result in as many as 740,000 additional HIV infections among adolescents in the next 14 years.

Girls are particularly vulnerable to the disease and account for three out of four new AIDS infections among adolescents aged 15 to 19. Around one-third of new HIV infections occur outside of sub-Saharan Africa.

While adolescent deaths are projected to rise, children aged between 0 and 4 face the highest risk of AIDS-related deaths compared to other age groups, according to Unicef. However, AIDS-related deaths among that age group have fallen by 70 percent since 2000. The vast majority of new HIV infections among children - 85 percent - occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The world has made tremendous progress in the global effort to end AIDS, but the fight is far from over - especially for children and adolescents,” Anthony Lake, Unicef executive director, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Every two minutes, another adolescent - most likely a girl - will be infected with HIV. If we want to end AIDS, we need to recapture the urgency this issue deserves - and redouble our efforts to reach every child and every adolescent.”

Read the rest at Newsweek

Related: Ending AIDS Needs Both Prevention and a Cure (Inter Press Service)

Related: Here’s Why HIV Rates Aren’t Going Down for People of Color (TakePart)

Related: These Posters Vividly Document the History of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic (The Huffington Post)

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