Adolescents and young people represent a growing share of people living with HIV worldwide. In 2015 alone, 670,000 young people between the ages of 15 to 24 were newly infected with HIV, of whom 250,000 were adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19. To compound this, most recent data indicate that only 13 per cent of adolescent girls and 9 per cent of adolescent boys aged 15-19 in sub-Saharan Africa – the region most affected by HIV – have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months and received the result of the last test. If current trends continue, hundreds of thousands more will become HIV-positive in the coming years. Additionally, AIDS-related deaths among adolescents have increased over the past decade while decreasing among all other age groups, which can be largely attributed to a generation of children infected with HIV perinatally who are growing into adolescence.
In 2015, a new global strategy was launched which aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. To achieve this, it is critical to accelerate efforts to address the epidemic among adolescents and, therefore, The ALL IN! to End Adolescent AIDS agenda was launched in early 2015 in partnership with other international health and development partners. This agenda established 2020 targets to better position the global AIDS response to end the AIDS epidemic among adolescents by 2030.
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For Every Child, End AIDS: Seventh Stocktaking Report, 2016
Children are still dying of AIDS-related causes. Children living with HIV (aged 0–4) face the highest risk of AIDS-related death compared to all other age groups. The AIDS-response must focus on solutions for this extremely vulnerable population. Preventing new infections, but also testing and starting treatment early are the best ways to end AIDS among the youngest children. In an age when the tools and knowledge are at hand to prevent and treat HIV in children, new infections and deaths among this age group reflect a collective failure to prioritise children.
Collecting and Reporting of Sex-and Age-Disaggregated Data on Adolescents at the Sub-National Level
This document guides countries through the process of collecting and reporting sub-national data on adolescents to inform programme planning and implementation efforts. It has been developed with the specific aim of identifying data gaps for adolescents and informing immediate programme planning needs at the sub-national level.
Guidance Document: Strengthening the Adolescent Component of National HIV Programmes through Country Assessments
This guidance document and its accompanying tool, the Adolescent Assessment and Decision-Makers Tool (AADM), were devised to facilitate country assessments aimed at strengthening the adolescent component of national HIV programmes. The purpose of the country assessments is to: (1) support country teams in the identification of equity and performance gaps affecting adolescent HIV programming; and (2) define priority actions to improve the effectiveness of the national adolescent HIV response.
Children & AIDS: 2015 Statistical Update
At the turn of the century, and the beginning of the Millennium Development Goals, an HIV diagnosis was equivalent to a death sentence for most children and their families in low-income countries. But now, an early diagnosis paired with treatment and care can ensure long healthy lives, regardless of location, and can help prevent transmission of HIV to others. Since 2000, 30 million new infections were prevented, nearly 8 million deaths averted, and 15 million people living with HIV are now receiving treatment.
Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS Among Adolescents: Current Status, Inequities, and Data Gaps
The JAIDS Supplement is a key source of evidence that will inform collective efforts towards ending the adolescent AIDS epidemic. The series presents a collection of reviews on adolescents analyzing current evidence and experience from programmes to highlight how to improve HIV-specific outcomes.
GLOBAL AIDS RESPONSE PROGRESS REPORTING/UNIVERSAL ACCESS
In an effort to harmonize data collection and minimize the reporting burden on countries, UNAIDS, WHO and UNICEF have developed a joint reporting tool. The tool, which has been translated into several UN languages, combines the Global AIDS Response Progress Reporting and Universal Access reporting on the health sector response to HIV/AIDS. Countries that have not yet begun using the tool are advised to download the latest version. Accompanying guidelines support countries in using the tool and provide detailed descriptions of the indicators used.
- For more information, click here.
- For Global AIDS Response Progress Reporting/Universal Access reporting guidelines, click here.
- To view the latest version of the reporting tool, click here.
- To view a list of indicators, click here.
SPECTRUM/EPP ESTIMATE MODELLING
UNAIDS, WHO and UNICEF are using Futures Institute’s modelling software, Spectrum/EPP, to generate estimates, which support policy decisions concerning public health. Spectrum includes modules for HIV estimates and projectors.
NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEYS
Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS), reproductive health surveys, sexual behaviour surveys and other nationally representative surveys are currently used to collect data on HIV and AIDS.