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Adolescents falling through gaps in HIV services

For World AIDS Day 2013, WHO launches new HIV recommendations to increase testing, counselling treatment and care for this neglected group.

Star Health Desk
More than 2 million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years are living with HIV, and many do not receive the care and support that they need to stay in good health and prevent transmission. In addition, millions more adolescents are at risk of infection.
The failure to support effective and acceptable HIV services for adolescents has resulted in a 50% increase in reported AIDS-related deaths in this group compared with the 30% decline seen in the general population from 2005 to 2012.
The new recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) "HIV and adolescents: Guidance for HIV testing and counselling and care for adolescents living with HIV" are the first to address the specific needs of adolescents both for those living with HIV as well as those who are at risk of infection. The recommendations have been released recently on occasion of World AIDS Day 2013 which is being observed today.
Expert from WHO said that adolescents face difficult and often confusing emotional and social pressures as they grow from children into adults. Adolescents
need health services and support, tailored to their needs. They are less likely than adults to be tested for HIV and often need more support than adults to help them maintain care and to stick to treatment.
Adolescent girls, young men who have sex with men, those who inject drugs or are subject to sexual coercion and abuse are at highest risk. Experts identified many barriers, including harsh laws, inequalities, stigma and discrimination which prevent them from accessing services that could
test, prevent, and treat HIV.
About one-seventh of all new HIV infections occur during adolescence. Unless the barriers are removed, the dream of an AIDS-free generation will never be realised.
WHO recommends governments review their laws to make it easier for adolescents to obtain HIV testing without needing consent from their parents. The guidelines also suggest ways that health sendees can improve the quality of care and social support for adolescents. And they highlight the value of involving this age group to create an adolescent-centered approach to the sendees that work for people of their age.
Young people need to be better equipped to manage their HIV infection and take ownership of their health care. Zimbabwe has set an example of such leadership by developing adolescent friendly sendees, and as a result they achieved good treatment outcomes among adolescents. Experts urge all countries to be inspired by these examples and strengthen support for adolescents living with HIV.
Source: World Health Organisation