Adolescents Under the Radar in the Asia-Pacific AIDS Response

The Asia-Pacific region is facing a 'hidden epidemic' of HIV among adolescents. There were an estimated 50,000 new HIV infections among adolescents aged 15-19 in 2014, accounting for 15 per cent of new infections. There are now around 220,000 adolescents living with HIV in the region, with large cities like Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta hubs of new infections.

Although new HIV infections are falling overall, they are rising among adolescents from key populations, in particular young gay men and other men who have sex with men. The rise in new infections coincides with an increase in risky behaviour, such as multiple sexual partners and inconsistent condom use.

These findings come in a new report, 'Adolescents: Under the Radar in the Asia-Pacific AIDS Response', published today by the Asia-Pacific Inter-Agency Task Team on Young Key Populations, which includes UNICEF, UNAIDS and others.