Preventing the Rapid Spread of HIV Among Young Women in Sub Saharan Africa

The expansion of anti-retroviral treatment and more effective prevention strategies has had

a significant impact on many countries in Sub Saharan Africa(SSA)--the most severely HIV affected

region of the world. Since 2003,over seven million people have been put on ARVs,

six million men have received voluntary male circumcision, and 21 million

individuals have participated in prevention programs(Birx,2015). These efforts have resulted in a decrease

in AIDS mortality and prevented millions of new infections. Yet,without substantial additional funding for

these programs,there could be 28 million new infections,mostly in this region,by 2020(UNAIDS,2014).

With global funding for HIV treatment and prevention essentially flat lined,it is essential to target populations

and localities where the epidemic is spreading most rapidly. In Sub Saharan Africa,adolescent girls and other

young women are disproportionately affected by HIV. Recent data shows that in 2013,380,000 adolescent girls

and young women were infected with HIV in SSA. Over 80 percent of the new infections among adolescents

in these countries were young girls(UNAIDS,2014). The objectives of this presentation are to describe  the spread

of HIV/AIIDS among adolescent girls and other young women in selected countries of Sub Saharan Africa ,discuss

social and economic obstacles to their participation in prevention and treatment programs, and present evidenced

based combination prevention interventions that are now targeting this high risk group. These core prevention

interventions have been developed by PEPFAR and Global AIDS programs working in Sub Saharan Africa.