Being ALHIV and staying alive: what do we know about adolescents living with HIV in South Africa?

Abstract

Approximately 1.7 million adolescents aged 10-19 years are living with HIV in the world, the majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, South Africa ranks as the highest HIV-burdened country in the world. New infections continue to occur, particularly among older adolescents. The pool of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) is not diminishing over time. South Africa needs to intensify prevention programmes from early adolescence to mitigate the later risk for HIV acquisition.