Global Fund and Partners Launch HER
The Global Fund - "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and partners pledged support for HER – HIV Epidemic Response – an initiative to build private sector support for programs that address HIV in 13 African countries where adolescent girls and young women face disproportionate risk.
Nearly 7,000 young women and girls are infected with HIV every week, concentrated in East and Southern Africa. At the same time, the 15-24 year-old population of Africa has doubled since 1990, so addressing HIV incidence is critical to preventing a catastrophic resurgence of the epidemic. In the hardest-hit countries, girls account for more than 80 percent of all new HIV infections among adolescents.
“We have made incredible gains against AIDS over the past generation,” said Peter Sands, incoming Executive Director of the Global Fund. “But we see a serious threat to that progress if we do not directly address the challenges faced by adolescent girls and young women.” (Photo: Steve Evans/flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)