New Insights in HIV Prevention Interventions for Adolescents and Young People

Dear Colleagues,

Adolescents (10–19 years) and young people (15–24 years) represent a growing percentage of the global population that is particularly impacted by the HIV epidemic: 29% of new infections in 2020 were young people aged 15–24.  Adolescents and young people are a particularly vulnerable population, and have a heightened risk for HIV infection with specific HIV-prevention needs. The greatest burden of HIV among 10–24-year-olds is in sub-Saharan Africa, where >80% of adolescents and young people living with HIV are girls and young women. In other settings, the HIV burden among adolescents is carried by young men who have sex with men, or young injection drug-users. In light of this heterogeneity, HIV prevention interventions must be tailored to fit each specific setting and population.

HIV prevention has several components. First and foremost is knowledge of HIV: it is imperative that adolescents possess knowledge of HIV and how to prevent it in order to protect themselves and their peers from infection. Behavioral and structural strategies targeting the social determinants of HIV (racism, sexism, poverty, and healthcare availability) are essential for improving knowledge of HIV and reducing transmission. This includes reducing stigma, improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, and syringe access for drug users. Furthermore, the significant addition of biomedical HIV prevention, in the form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP), contributes to reducing the number of new HIV infections among adolescents and young people. However, access to PreP remains limited in many regions and/or specific at-risk populations.

This Special Issue will cover current and future HIV prevention interventions in various contexts of the HIV epidemic worldwide. We encourage researchers from various fields within the scope of HV prevention among adolescents to submit papers highlighting the latest developments in their research field, or to invite relevant experts and colleagues to contribute. A broad range of research methodologies will be accepted, including qualitative, epidemiological, operational, implementation, and policy research, as well as systematic reviews.

Dr. Sophie Desmonde
Dr. Désiré Lucien Dahourou
Guest Editors

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• adolescent
• HIV infection
• HIV prevention
• young adult
• pre-exposure prophylaxis
• structural interventions