India among countries with highest number of HIV adolescents

From Betwa Sharma
United Nations, Jun 2 (PTI) India, where 95,000
adolescents are living with HIV, has been listed along with
the sub-Saharan countries having the highest number of
youngsters infected by the deadly virus, according to a UN
report.
In the age group of 10-19 years, India with 46,000
infected girls and 49,000 boys, has been ranked tenth in the
list of countries most affected with HIV in 2009, the report
'Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from early adolescence
to young adulthood' said.
South Africa is at the top with 2,10,000 girls and
82,000 boys infected with the virus while Nigeria at second
with 1,80,000 girls and 1,00,000 boys followed by Kenya.
The report, released on Wednesday, said that most
infected adolescents live in sub-Saharan Africa and most of
them are women, and most do not know their status.
It said globally young women make up more than 60 per
cent of all young people living with HIV.
"For many young people HIV infection is the result of
neglect, exclusion, and violations that occur with the
knowledge of families, communities, social and political
leaders," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

According to the report, every day, an estimated 2500
young people are infected with HIV.
Further, those aged 15-24 years accounted for 41 per
cent of new infections among adults over the age of 15 in
2009.
This is the first time that UN agencies are focusing
on presenting data that would prevent HIV from early
adolescence.
The report said that while HIV prevalence has declined
slightly among young people, young women and adolescent girls
face a disproportionately high risk of infection due to
biological vulnerability, social inequality and exclusion.
In India, the report said, the epidemic is driven
largely by sex workers and 4.9 per cent of female sex workers
are HIV-positive.
It also said that India was making progress in
providing sexual education by overcoming socio-cultural and
political opposition.