HIV prevention efforts must reach most vulnerable – adolescents, young women, LGBTI communities
Netherlands/Lesotho/Botswana – The number of AIDS-related deaths has fallen to its lowest point this century thanks to improved access to antiretroviral treatment, according to a newly released report. Yet prevention efforts are leaving the most vulnerable behind.
Last year, about 40 per cent of new HIV infections took place among key populations – a group including members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community, people who inject drugs, and other at-risk groups – and their sexual partners.
And in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women, aged 15 to 24, are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. Despite being roughly one tenth of the population, they account for one in four new infections, according to data from UNAIDS.