Aids survey shows teens are future's hope
April 07, 2004 Edition -1
Kanya Ndaki
The key to beating the HIV/Aids pandemic lies with the younger generation of teenagers, according to health experts.
A major new survey found that "younger teenagers" are mostly HIV-negative.
"If we can enable them to stay that way, we can turn off the oxygen tap constantly fuelling the flames of the epidemic," said Dr David Harrison, CEO of loveLife, who commissioned the study.
His reaction follows the major survey by the Wits reproductive health research unit on HIV and the sexual behaviour of South African youth, which was released yesterday.
The study found that although one in four women were HIV-positive by the age of 22, hope lay with "younger teenagers" - the bulk of whom were still HIV-negative.
The survey is the largest national survey of this nature so far and involved a national representative sample of 11 904 young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
Harrison said although one in 10 youths aged between 15 and 24 was HIV-positive, the findings showed that 96% of 15-year-olds were HIV-negative.
He added that changing behaviour would be almost impossible if young people, especially women, continued to live in a society where coercion prevailed and gender rights were not respected.
About 94% of youth interviewed said they knew what they wanted from life and 69% said they felt in control.
