As the world marks World AIDS Day on December 1, the World Health Organization has revealed over two million adolescents are living with HIV with many oblivious of it.

 

In sub-Saharan Africa, only about 10 percent of young men and 15 percent of young women between 15-24 years know their HIV status.

This WHO attributes to the lack of access to HIV testing and counseling by vulnerable adolescents especially in the developing countries.

World AIDS Day held on 1 December each year was the first ever global health day held in 1988

It is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

In a statement on the WHO website, it urged governments to review their laws to make it easier for adolescents to obtain HIV testing without needing consent from their parents.

“Many of adolescents do not receive the needed care and support to stay in good health and prevent transmission” it added.

The statement further stated that failure to support adolescents infected has resulted in a 50% increase in reported AIDS-related deaths compared with the 30% decline seen in the general population from 2005 to 2012.