UN Under-Secretary-General and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said in Beijing on May 4 that about 15 percent of all HIV infections in China are among young people aged 15-24, and that the rate of infection among young men is rising. Michel Sidibé said in Beijing on May 4 that about 15 percent of all people living with HIV in China are young people aged 15-24, and that the infection rate among young men is increasing.
Michel Sidibe, who was in Beijing on May 4, said that about 15 percent of all HIV infections in China are among young people aged 15-24, and that the rate of infection among young men is increasing. Michel Sidibé said this at the “Global Zero AIDS, Youth in Action – 5.4 Youth Day themed public welfare activities in the capital’s universities” held at the University of Science and Technology Beijing on the same day.
He pointed out that AIDS and related diseases have become the second leading cause of death among young people worldwide, with 120,000 young people dying from AIDS and related diseases in 2013 alone, an average of more than 300 per day. Notably, while deaths from AIDS in other age groups have declined, the number of AIDS deaths among adolescents has not.
He also revealed that about 15 percent of all HIV-positive people in China are young people aged 15-24, “which is a significant number.
Michel? Michel Sidibe called for more measures to empower young people to protect their own health, including building a new platform to work together to end HIV among young people, including improving the quality of testing data to identify more under-diagnosed cases among young people, paying extra attention to young people in national HIV prevention and treatment activities, and launching education and awareness campaigns that can attract young people to participate effectively.
During the public service event, six student representatives from Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Science and Technology Beijing and other universities issued a “Zero AIDS” initiative to university students nationwide, advocating that young people face AIDS squarely, oppose discrimination and stigma, start from themselves to protect themselves and others, and play a youthful role in the prevention of AIDS. They should start to protect themselves and others, and play a leadership role in AIDS prevention.
Wang Xiaoyong, secretary-general of the China-Africa Civil Society Chamber of Commerce, the organizer of the event, said that the Chamber will continue to deepen its cooperation with UNAIDS and help the development of AIDS prevention and fighting in Africa, starting from the eight countries in Africa that are hard hit by AIDS.