The AIDS Epidemic
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV/AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds in the United States since 1991. One in five persons newly diagnosed with AIDS is between 20-29 years old which means the HIV transmission occurred while they were in their teens.
Worldwide, six young people are infected with the AIDS virus every minute. The United Nations is calling it an epidemic. As a result, it has announced “UNAIDS, Listen, Learn and Live,” a campaign aimed at teaching kids about the risk of catching AIDS through unprotected sex and other high risk behavior.
UN officials hope that working with people under the age of twenty-five will help reduce the epidemic among the young. They speculate that numbers are rising in part because many kids are still deprived of AIDS information due to adult fears that education will increase sexual promiscuity. Statistics show the reverse is actually true.
In 1998, more than 8500 children worldwide were infected with AIDS each day. Officials are particularly concerned about the rate of transmission in the 10-14 age group.
What Parents Should Know
Studies show most kids understand how AIDS is transmitted and how to avoid infection, but they don’t believe it will happen to them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that many kids are engaging in high-risk behavior which makes them vulnerable to AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drugs, sexual behavior among teens is often linked to drug and alcohol use. Many kids report using alcohol or drugs when they have sex. One in 62 kids reports having injected an illegal drug. Transmission of HIV also occurs among kids who trade sex for non-injected drugs like crack.
Statistics from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drugs show that young women are the fastest growing group contracting HIV/ADS through unprotected sex. About 75% of the AIDS cases in women were associated with the use of injected drugs, either through direct use or through sexual contact wit a man who injected drugs. AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death among women age 25 and 44. Many of those women were infected in their teens.
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“It’s not like a judgement. It’s not if you aren’t abstinent than you deserve to have AIDS. It’s saying if you do choose to do this then protect yourself to reduce the risk of HIV and AIDS cause it is something that could kill you.” --Alice, Age 18 |
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AIDS Facts AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is caused by infection with HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is transmitted through body fluids such as semen, blood, vaginal secretions and breast milk. The virus dies quickly when outside the body. It cannot be transmitted by social contacts alone but must be transmitted through the body fluid. There are medical treatments but no known cures. What Kids Should Know
Some of the above information is adapted from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. |
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Resources
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AIDS Action
Council AVERT-AIDS
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For
more information on parenting issues contact us: Connecting with Kids |