HIV/AIDS is another serious issue for teenage girls these days. It is the most serious of all STDs out there. Can a young woman infected with HIV/AIDS ever completely feel good about herself and live a normal life? Better yet, can we do anything as adults to help them be better-educated for future prevention?
There have been cases of young women who have only had sex once and immediately became affected with HIV/AIDS. Just because these specific individuals were young and perhaps acted immaturely, should they be punished in such a harsh way? Having HIV changes someone’s life drastically, but someone contracting full-blown AIDS can actually lose their life. HIV/AIDS has been and continues to be a serious epidemic in society.
Thankfully, there is so much information out there to help young people to not become a victim or just another statistic. The UNAIDS Organization provides tons of tips and articles to help young people become more aware of how this issue affects them. The link is: http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/KeyPopulations/YoungPeople/default.asp.
Also, there is quite a bit of information available on UNICEF discussing how AIDS affects young people all around the world. The link is: http://www.unicef.org/aids/index_youngpeople.html.
The CDC released statistics on young people infected by AIDS in 2008. These stats are based on results of people infected in the U.S. and by patients who have actually been diagnosed so the numbers could be higher. The link is: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/youth.htm.
Better education and communication is one of the best ways to keep our young people safe and healthy, thereby preventing the spread of this most serious STD.