The ILO, UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, WHO and the World Bank have joined forces to produce a new report just release on June 1, 2011 that stresses the importance of adolescents and young adults to take the risk of HIV infection even more seriously than ever before. The 68 page report (PDF link below) is entitled “Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood” speaks to the fact that approximately 2,500 young people are infected daily with HIV, and that in the year 2009 people between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for 41% of new HIV infections among all those over the age of 15.

As usual, it is a big responsibility of older generations to promote awareness, education and leadership in this ongoing war against one of the deadliest epidemics to plague the globe. In the Unites States, it has been 30 years since the first case was properly diagnosed and detected.

Young people are strongly influenced by the attitudes and actions of others their age, and for many young people much of their existing knowledge of sex and HIV is based on information they have received from friends, which can often be distorted. Peer education harnesses this method of sharing knowledge to convey accurate information about HIV and AIDS to young people.

There is also certainly a domino effect and many elements contribute to the youth contracting the virus. Poverty and famine often lead to prostitution, which heightens the risk of infection.

Mahmoud Mohieldin, the World Bank’s managing director comments:

“Existing prevention strategies have had limited success, so we have to look for creative new approaches to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These must address people’s very basic needs for education, economic security, inclusion, dignity, and human rights. These issues are particularly crucial when we consider the health and well-being of adolescent girls, mothers and children, and socially marginalized groups.”

In addition, having intercourse with those of an older generation also increases risk because the prevalence if HIV infection is statistically higher. Sex with more partners also obviously increases the opportunity to contract HIV.

U.N. children’s agency director Anthony Lake continues:

“Behavior is fueling HIV transmission among young people, particularly young women. We must protect the second decade of life, so that the journey from childhood to adulthood is not derailed by HIV – a journey that is especially fraught for girls and young women.”

The report also states that many teens lack access to basic information about HIV and how to prevent AIDS, and to testing services.

Educating young people about HIV and AIDS necessitates discussions about sensitive subjects such as sex and drug use. Many people believe that it is inappropriate to talk to young people about these subjects and fear that doing so will encourage young people to indulge in risky behaviors. Such attitudes are often based on moral or religious views rather than evidence, and severely limit AIDS education around the world. Substantial evidence shows that educating young people about safer sex and the importance of using condoms does not lead to increases in sexual activity.

In order to prevent becoming infected with HIV, young people need comprehensive information about how HIV is transmitted and what they can do to stop themselves from becoming infected. This information should be delivered without moral judgment according to many HIV and AIDS organizations.

For the full report, please click HERE.

Additional Source: Avert.org

Written by Sy Kraft