UN calls for action to protect young African women from HIV

A new UNAIDS report has revealed that people are particularly vulnerable to HIV at certain points in their lives and has called for a “life-cycle approach” to find solutions for people of all ages.

UNAIDS also announced that by June 2016, around 18.2 million people had access to HIV treatment, including 910,000 children.

The report contains detailed data on the complexities of HIV and reveals that girls’ transition to womanhood is a very dangerous time, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. “Young women are facing a triple threat,” said executive director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé.

He added: “They are at high risk of HIV infection, have low rates of HIV testing, and have poor adherence to treatment. The world is failing young women and we urgently need to do more.”

UNAIDS said that recent data from South Africa has shown that young women are “acquiring HIV from adult men, while men acquire HIV much later in life after they transition into adulthood and continue the cycle of new infections”.