2023-12-02 09:04:00
AIDS/HIV: around thirty young people infected every day in Latin America and the Caribbean
Every day, around thirty adolescents and young people are infected with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean, revealed Friday, December 1, UNICEF, which calls on governments to take measures to raise awareness and adopt prevention measures. .
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The red ribbon, symbol of solidarity towards AIDS patients, reconstituted into candles. Photo: AFP/VNA/CVN
“In Latin America and the Caribbean, around 30 new cases of infection – 11,000 per year – are recorded every day among adolescents and young people aged 10 to 19,” according to a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“New infections in this age group are concentrated among adolescents and young men”, but women continue to be the most affected, underlines the report, which points in particular to their difficulty in “negotiating protected sex”.
“Although the region has not seen a significant increase in HIV infections, we are concerned that adolescents and young people are unknowingly contracting the virus,” says Garry Conille, UNICEF regional director. .
“Less than 25% of adolescents and young people have access to an HIV test, while access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents is rare,” he adds in a press release.
Around 34,000 pregnant women need treatment to prevent transmission of the virus to their child, UNICEF further estimates.
The report also highlights migrants’ “limited” access to HIV prevention services, while the region is experiencing one of the “most complex migration crises in the world.”
The UN agency’s document was published in Panama, where its regional headquarters is located, on the occasion of World AIDS Day.
AFP/VNA/CVN
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