Preventing HIV/AIDS in Young People: Evidence from Developing Countries

by World Health Organization, Jane Ferguson, Bruce Dick

Young people are particularly vulnerable to 15 24 year olds account for 50% of new cases. Five to six thousand youths become infected every day, most of them in developing countries. The UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS in June 2001 set a number of goals to drive efforts to reduce prevalence in this age group.

This report provides evidence-based recommendations for policy-makers, program managers and researchers to guide efforts towards meeting the UN goals on HIV/AIDS and young people. These goals aim to decrease prevalence and vulnerability; and to increase access to information, skills and services.

This report provides a systematic review the effectiveness of interventions through schools, health services, mass media, communities, and to young people who are most vulnerable to HIV infection.

353 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2006

About the author

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations.

The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 22 July 1946, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office international d'hygiène publique and the League of Nations Health Organization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and aging; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking.

The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, a leading international publication on health, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day (7 April of every year)