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Opportunity in crisis – reflecting on HIV infection in young people

2 June 2011

That young people are particularly vulnerable to HIV and Aids is well established, but what the Opportunity in Crisis report, just issued by UNICEF and its partners, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNESCO, ILO, WHO and the World Bank, presents for the first time is new data on HIV prevalence in young people aged 15-24 years, breaking down the data by country and the number of HIV-positive adolescents living there.

The report highlights high risk behaviours while focusing on key gaps and opportunities for effective HIV prevention among youth. Some of the major findings include:

• An estimated 890,000 young people aged 15-24 were newly infected with HIV in 2009 – that is nearly 2,500 every day;
• Young people aged 15 to 24 accounted for 41 per cent of new infections among adults aged 15 and older; and
• Globally, young women make up more than 60 per cent of all young people living with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, their share jumps to 72 per cent.

The report comes a week ahead of the 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Aids, which will take place from 8 to 10 June 2011 in New York. The world will come together to review progress and chart the future course of the global Aids response and member states are expected to adopt a new declaration that will reaffirm current commitments and commit to actions to guide and sustain the global Aids response.

The Opportunity in Crisis report can be downloaded from UNICEF’s website. Share your views in our Comments section below. More news headlines can be found in our News Archive.