12 August 2018

The population of young people (15-24) living in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double by 2050, a demographic shift dubbed the ‘youth bulge’, or ‘youth wave’, depending on the country. For those working in the HIV response, it presents a worrying challenge, as we have so far failed to control HIV in young people on the continent.

This is particularly true for young women in sub-Saharan Africa, who make up 58% of new HIV infections among young people globally and 67% of new infections in Africa. They are also eight times more likely to be living with HIV than their male counterparts in the region. But complacency, not the bulge, is our biggest enemy. As the population of young people increases, so does our need to reach people, prevent, diagnose and treat HIV. The time has come to think innovatively about how to deliver programmes that speak to young people and give them what they actually want and need.

Read the full article online here.