Group Warns Youths Concening HIV

A group known as the Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention has called for an urgent need to address the issue of sexual reproductive health and HIV prevention in Nigeria.

Speaking during a conference organised by the group in Abuja on Tuesday, a fellow of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, David Ita, stated that although Nigeria had a robust policy framework that supported adolescent health and development, the policy had not translated to improved quality service delivery and rights -based approach to access to sexual reproductive health services among adolescents.

Ita added that there was an increase in vulnerability among young people, which was attributed to a lack of knowledge and appropriate sexual reproductive health services.

He noted that the vacuum was associated with gaps in the policy and programmes , which addressed sexual reproductive health and HIV response.

Ita also said that young people between the ages of 10 and 24 constitute 33 . 6 per cent of Nigeria’ s population and in 2016 , 240 ,000 adolescents between 10 and 19 years were living with the virus , which made up about seven per cent of the total number of people living with HIV in Nigeria.

While highlighting policy issues to address sexual reproductive health and HIV prevention , he called on major stakeholders to urgently address the issues to prevent further harm to the youth population .

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