Young women remain at riskLate teens the most dangerous years Girls between 15 and 19 years of age account for 90% of all new HIV infections in southern Africa, a new report shows. The alarming rate of HIV infection among young women aged 15 to 24 is driven by rebellion and denial, which makes treating them extremely difficult, health minister Bernard Haufiku said yesterday.He also said that some health facilities lack youth-friendly services and these young women are “scolded” by older nurses instead of being provided health services.
“That adolescent stage is the most difficult in their lives. They are learning new things and most of it from their peers. Thus they are not really faced with true scientific facts. And it is at precisely this stage that they rebel and do not listen to adults,” he said.
During the Aids Day commemoration in 2015, Rachel Coomer of the Legal Assistance Centre said because of lack of access to health services, as well as economic difficulties, “young girls are driven into the arms of sugar daddies.”
At the time, UNAIDS figures indicated that the age group between 15 and 24 was at the forefront of new infections. According to UNAIDS, “The most recent figures indicate that the youth, aged between 15 and 24, make up 43% of all new infections in the country.”
The 2016 report titled ''UNAIDS Get on the Fast-Track: The life cycle approach to HIV'' launched by UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe in Windhoek yesterday showed that this age group is a dangerous time for women.
According to the report, data from six locations in eastern and southern Africa revealed that in southern Africa girls aged between 15 and 19 accounted for 90% of all new infections, and they accounted for more than 74% in East Africa.
“It therefore makes a lot of sense to focus on and invest our resources into these sub-populations. Eastern and southern African ministers have recommitted to reinvigorate efforts to empower adolescent girls and young women and to give them the necessary knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, keeping them in school and strengthening school health programmes,” said Haufiku.
Sidibe also expressed concern about the infection rate among young women aged 15 to 24, who according to him face a triple threat of a high infection rate, low rates of HIV testing, and poor adherence to treatment.
“The world is failing young women and we urgently need to do more. We need to really pay attention. We need a new approach,” he said.
Namibian success
Sidibe commended Namibia for its efforts to fight HIV and Aids, saying it is a success story for the world.
According to him Namibia''s performance is among the best in the world, especially the fact that the country has managed to put more than 90% of HIV-positive pregnant women on ARV treatment.
He also commended the country for digging into its own pockets to sustain the fight against HIV and Aids and not entirely relying on foreign aid.
“Namibia has been able to demonstrate that it is important to take from its budget, which is a sign of commitment,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Hage Geingob has pointed out that there is need for Namibia to redouble its prevention and treatment efforts.
“We cannot accept that while new infections are in general decline, we see an increase in new infections in young people between the ages of 15 to 29, particularly in adolescent girls and young women. We also cannot accept social behaviour which drives HIV statistics,” he said.
The president called on the private sector to join the government on the frontlines of the battle against HIV and Aids.
“While Namibia is proud of the achievements it has made in collaboration with partners like the Global Fund and PEPFAR, we are also proud that the bulk of Namibia''s HIV response is funded by our domestic resources,” he said.