Investing in the health of young women
In 2020, approximately 5,500 adolescent girls and young women became infected with HIV every week. Women aged between 15 and 24 are twice as likely to acquire HIV as their male peers in sub-Saharan Africa. The root causes of the vulnerability of young women are gender inequality, discrimination, gender-based violence, limited access to education, and lack of tailored healthcare services.
From the peak of the HIV crisis in the late 1990s and early 2000s, annual AIDS-related deaths and new infections have been cut by half. Worldwide, of the 38 million people living with HIV, 26 million were on antiretroviral therapy by June 2020. Since 2010, the number of HIV-related deaths – TB being the most common cause of death among people with AIDS – decreased by 39% (UNAIDS). Then, after more than 15 years of steady and remarkable progress, when most countries were about to enter a new phase in the fight against HIV and TB, COVID-19 hit, disrupting many years of progress. From April to September 2020, HIV testing declined by 41% and TB referrals fell by 59% (The Global Fund). This means more people living with HIV and TB do not know they are infected and are not receiving the care they need.
A united and active response is more important than ever.
