Adolescents and young people represent a growing share of people living with HIV globally. In 2022 alone, 480,000 (255,000 to 760,000) young people aged 10 to 24 were newly infected with HIV, of whom 140,000 (35,000 to 250,000) were adolescents aged 10 to 19. indicate that only 25 percent of adolescent girls and 17 percent of adolescent boys aged 15 to 19 in eastern and southern Africa – the region most affected by HIV – have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months and have received the result of the last test. test. Testing rates in West and Central Africa are even lower. If current trends continue, there will still be around 183,000 new annual HIV infections among adolescents in 2030.
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HIV in adolescents
In 2022, approximately 1.65 million (1.18 million to 2.19 million) adolescents aged 10 to 19 years were living with HIV globally. Adolescents represent about 4 percent of all people living with HIV and about 10 percent of new HIV infections among adults. About 1.40 million (1.00 million to 1.85 million), or 85 percent, live in sub-Saharan Africa. Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, the largest number of HIV-positive adolescents are found in Asia and Latin America.
Globally, in 2022, adolescent girls accounted for four-fifths of all new HIV infections among adolescents. That year, in sub-Saharan Africa, almost six times as many adolescent girls were newly infected with HIV as adolescent boys. In East Asia and the Pacific, more boys are newly infected with HIV than girls during adolescence each year. This reflects differences in risk behavior in these regions, meaning that interventions must be tailored to the specific nature and dynamics of the epidemic.
In some sub-Saharan countries, adolescent girls are two to three times more likely to be infected with HIV than boys in the same age group. However, HIV does not only affect sub-Saharan Africa: in 2022, 33% of adolescents newly infected with HIV lived outside the region.
Interventions for HIV prevention among adolescents
According to UNAIDS estimates, HIV incidence has declined in many of the most severely affected countries because adolescents and young people are adopting safer sexual practices and more young people living with HIV have access to treatment to reduce their viral load. However, in regions with available data, recent testing coverage remains below 25 percent for adolescents. This means that many adolescents and young people living with HIV may not know their status. Additionally, boys are consistently less likely than girls to have been tested for HIV.
In countries with generalized epidemics, schools can be a critical place to provide adolescents with the information and skills they need to avoid HIV infection. There is evidence that school-based sexuality education can be effective in changing knowledge, attitudes, and practices that lead to risky sexual behaviors.
Preventing HIV in countries with low prevalence or where the epidemic is concentrated in specific populations is particularly difficult as the spread of the virus is fueled by high-risk and often stigmatized behaviors. People who engage in such behaviors are typically young and include sex workers, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.
For more information about UNICEF programs and policies, visit Children & AIDS Community of Practice.
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