AIDS: The Epidemic

The Facts || The Myths || Teens/Young People || Your Family|| The Proof

HIV/AIDS has spread to every corner of the world. Still rapidly growing, the epidemic is robbing millions of their lives.

Young People are particularly susceptible to HIV infection and they also carry the burden of caring for family members living with HIV/AIDS.

More than half of those newly infected with HIV today are between 15 and 24 years old. Many of them die from AIDS before they turn 35.

Young people are at the center of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic

Humans have inherited a lethal legacy that is killing us. An estimated 11.8 million young people aged 15 to 24 are living with HIV/AIDS. Each day, nearly 6,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 become infected with HIV. Yet only a fraction of them know they are infected.

Over 7,000 HIV/AIDS infections are occurring among young people daily.

More than two decades into this epidemic, the vast majority of young people remain uninformed about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Although a majority have heard of AIDS, many do not know how HIV is spread and do not believe they are at risk. Those young people who do know how something about HIV often do not protect themselves because they lack the skills, the support of the means to adopt safe behaviors.

Teaching them skills in negotiation, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision-making and communication, improves their self-confidence and ability to make informed choices, such as postponing sex until they are mature enough to protect themselves from HIV, other STD’s and unwanted pregnancies.

It is vitally important to pay special attention to vulnerable young people and those at especially high risk. We know that if HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs are to effective, young people must be involved in their design and implementation. We also know that keeping children in school helps protect against HIV infection.

Early adolescence, from the ages of 10 to 14, is a time when enduring patterns of healthy behavior can be established, including postponing the onset of sexual activity, which can quell the spread of HIV/AIDS. Establishing healthy patterns from the start is easier than changing risky behaviors already entrenched.

Parents, extended families, communities, schools and peers are critical in guiding and supporting young people to make safe choices about their health and well-well-being. Studies have shown that consistent, positive, emotional connections with a caring adult help young people fee safe and secure, allowing them to develop the resiliency needed to manage the challenges in their lives.

No progress can be made until it becomes unacceptable to discriminate against those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

[[Email]

©2003 World Of AIDS. This site is owned and maintained by Me.