The Friends of AIDS Foundation/Topics/HIV and Youth

YOUTH and HIV

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Teens are the fastest growing group at risk for HIV.

Two teens are infected with HIV every hour in the US.

One in four new HIV cases in the US occurs in people under the age of 21.

African American and Latino youth make up 84% of new AIDS cases among youth.

According to CDC’s Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS), many young people begin
having sexual intercourse at early ages.

47% of high school students have had sexual intercourse, and 7.4% of them
reported first sexual intercourse before age 13.

Only 50% of those who are sexually active report consistent condom use.

Research also shows that most young people in the world do not know how to protect
themselves from HIV, nor do they know how it is transmitted.

HIV/AIDS education needs to take place at correspondingly young ages, before young
people engage in sexual behaviors that put them at risk for HIV infection.

Today's Youth are Tomorrow's Future. It is important to protect the well-being
of young people by educating and empowering them not only to make responsible
decisions about sex, but to work side-by-side with parents, peers, policy makers, and
service providers, to effect meaningful change in our nation's sexual health policies and
programs.

For information on our Youth Empowerment Program (YEP!), click here