Controlling HIV/AIDS amongst young people

Description

Controlling HIV/AIDS amongst young people involves implementing targeted education, accessible testing, and youth-friendly health services to reduce transmission and support early intervention. Strategies focus on promoting safe sexual practices, combating stigma, and ensuring access to prevention tools such as condoms and pre-exposure prophylaxis. Engaging communities and leveraging peer networks are essential to increase awareness, encourage responsible behavior, and address barriers to care, ultimately reducing new infections and improving health outcomes for young populations.

Context

About half of all HIV infections so far have occurred in people younger than age 25. Since the start of the pandemic, at least six million youth have been infected with HIV. However, surveys show that it is usually only the young who can be influenced to adopt protective behaviour patterns to avoid contracting HIV. As a rule, people over 20 refuse to alter their sexual behaviour even if they are made aware of the risks of not doing so.