Across the globe more adolescents die from AIDS-related illnesses than any other cause, excluding car accidents.
In 2013 alone, a shocking 120,000 adolescents died from AIDS-related illnesses, an average of 300 deaths a day, UNAIDS reported. The number of adolescents dying from these causes is not observed to be decreasing, even though the number of deaths has dropped in every other age group.
"It is shameful that this is happening when we have the knowledge and tools to keep adolescents living with HIV alive and well and to prevent new HIV infections," Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director wrote in a UNAIDS statement.
Most adolescents who died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2013 acquired HIV during pregnancy, delivery, or in the first few months of life, primarily because their mothers were not receiving adequate antiretroviral medicines to reduce the risk of transmission.
The majority of individuals who contracted the virus and died from AIDS-related illnesses during adolescence in 2013 were female, and the infection rate was highest in sub-Saharan Africa at eight out of every 10 girls. The health group believes this is because girls are typically more vulnerable to sexual violence and are less likely to be educated on how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases. The second highest infection rate was seen in gay and bisexual boys, as well as both male and female drug users.
"We must do more to protect all adolescents and empower them to protect themselves and their health. In fact, we cannot end the epidemic without a global movement to end AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections among adolescents," the researchers wrote.
National health systems in most affected counties do not focus on AIDS in adolescents, and rarely track the data on HIV infections after the age of 5. This allows many adolescents who are infected with the virus to "slip through the cracks." The good news is, in recent years more programs are reaching out to this age group, and an increasing number of countries are including adolescents in national AIDS agendas. The U.S. recently announced they will be investing $210 million to fight new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women.
"We need to build on this momentum. This week, leaders working to end the AIDS epidemic are coming together in Kenya to call for a new global target of reducing AIDS-related deaths among adolescents by 65 [percent] and cutting new HIV infections among adolescents by 75 [percent] in the next five years," the researchers stated.
These new goals are the main focus of All In, which is a new platform for action to end AIDS infections in adolescents.
