New data released by UNICEF has revealed that about half of those living with HIV in Africa can be found in just six countries: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, India, Mozambique and Tanzania.
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Nigeria, South Africa, 4 others revealed to make up half of adolescents with HIV in Africa
According to this new information, the number of adolescent deaths from AIDS has tripled over the last 15 years, with 26 new infections occurring every hour.
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The new data states that most adolescents who die of AIDS-related illnesses acquired HIV when they were infants, 10 to 15 years ago, when fewer pregnant women and mothers living with HIV received antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child.
These children have survived into their teenage years, sometimes without knowing their HIV status.
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According to the data in UNICEF’s Statistical Update on Children, Adolescents and AIDS, less than half of children under 2 months old are tested for HIV and only 1 in 3 of the 2.6 million children under the age of 15 living with HIV are on treatment.
AIDS has been revealed to be the number one cause of death among adolescents in Africa and the second leading cause of death among adolescents globally.
Among HIV-affected populations, adolescents are the only group for which the mortality figures are not decreasing.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest prevalence, girls are vastly more affected, accounting for 7 in 10 new infections among 15-19 year-olds.
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However, among adolescents in that age group in the region, just over 1 in 10 are tested for HIV.
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