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Youth and HIV


Young people are at particular risk of getting HIV infection.

Often there is sexual experimentation, sometimes with many different partners. There may also be experimentation with recreational drugs and alcohol which clouds judgement about practicing safer sex. There can be the use of needles when using steroids or getting tattoos - both of which involve needles and are therefore a risk for HIV transmission. Young people may also not have the skills to say no to sex or negotiate safer sex. All of these things combined make youth very vulnerable to HIV and AIDS.

Also, because HIV infection takes years to develop into AIDS, youth will not often be able to look around and actually see someone their own age visibly sick with AIDS. It is the incubation period that distorts the statistics. Gay men are still the largest group of people in Calgary with AIDS. But that only means that group of people were being infected a decade ago. Today the picture is very different.

By the end of 1993, 533 Albertans aged 20-29 had tested positive for HIV and 125 had AIDS. In young Canadian women, 15 to 24 years old, there is an alarming number of sexually transmitted diseases or STDs. Wherever risky sexual behavior is common, STD and HIV rates will be high.

For more information, check out Youth4Youth.com

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Copyright � 1998-2002
AIDS Calgary Awareness Association
Suite 200, 1509 Centre St South
Calgary, AB T2G 2E6
Tel: (403) 508-2500, Fax: (403) 263-7358
Web: www.aidscalgary.org
Questions? Send email to [email protected]

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Thanks to Shane H, our first Web volunteer, for getting us started.