Epidemiology of HIV Among Adolescents and Young People In Eastern And Southern Region
Many young people’s lives are characterised by rapid changes at the nexus between person and environment. The period of transition into young adulthood is also viewed as a window of positive opportunities to enter early in the biopsychosocial system of the life cycle to promote and improve sexual health. However, doing so requires, among other things, comprehensive data for proactive planning and action before HIV and SRH-related risks and vulnerabilities become entrenched. Regrettably, such data are limited in many settings, which presents a serious impediment to timely action across the spectrum from understanding risks and vulnerabilities, to early intervention, to measuring and monitoring progress. In addition, global targets to reduce new HIV infections, in particular for young people (UNAIDSa, 2016), rarely consider the implications and accountabilities that are specific to this age group. Compared with infants and adults, less is known about the individual and social factors that drive HIV risk behaviours among young people and, consequently, how to address their needs for HIV prevention, care and treatment services. To address this gap, this chapter provides an overview of the epidemiology of HIV among young people in the most heavily affected part of the world, namely Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). This region remains the most affected by the HIV epidemic, accounting for 43% of the world’s HIV infections and 54% of people living with HIV globally (UNAIDS, 2020). The chapter also reviews behavioural and environmental factors that increase HIV risk for young people and highlights the challenges in the availability of reliable relevant data to systematically monitor the HIV response among this critically important population.
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