Information on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases
Young people are at the greatest risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The following reports illustrate the scope of the AIDS epidemic among young people around the world.
Worldwide, over 50 percent of all new HIV infections are in people 15 to 24 years old. However, young people make up only about 30 percent of the world's population.
There are 1.7 billion 10- to 24-year-olds throughout the world, representing the largest group ever to enter adulthood.
In every minute, six young people between ages 10 - 25 are infected with HIV. And more than 70 percent of these are from Africa.
In the United States:
Girls make up 51% of new HIV cases among teens in the U.S.
African Americans make up 65% of new HIV cases among teens in the U.S.
Latinos make up 20% new HIV cases among teens in the U.S.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 1.7 million youth are infected each year. Young women are 5 times more likely to get HIV than boys of the same age.
In South Africa, with the current rates of infection, it is projected that more than half of current 15-year-olds will die from AIDS in the next 10 years.
