![]() ![]() Collective action is needed to push beyond the complacency and internal barriers to implement policies and interventions that directly target HIV prevention and treatment for young people. Without aggressive action to reduce the rate of new infections in young people, HIV will continue to take a tremendous toll on the country for years and generations to come. The epidemic is exacerbated by its concentration in 15-49-year-olds, those of reproductive and working age who are the backbone of South Africa. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This is no time for business as usual from South Africa or its partners, including the U.S. We were alarmed by the complacency toward the rate of new infections at all levels and the absence of an emergency response, especially for young people. In February, we traveled to South Africa, to understand what is happening in these areas with “hyper-endemic” HIV epidemics, where prevalence rates exceed 15 percent among adults. Yet, the HIV epidemic is not being treated like a crisis. These are staggering figures, by any stretch of the imagination. ![]() Nearly 4,500 South Africans are newly infected every week one-third are adolescent girls/young women (AGYW) ages 15-24. In some communities of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, 60 percent of women have HIV.
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