Cases of AIDS increasing in teens

Coming from Medill and Northwestern University, our teens have one more thing that they have to live with as they grow older.
In 1981 a new danger was identified the United States. It was recognized that HIV had reached our shores. When this horrible disease was identified,
the treatment methods were unidentified. The disease quickly and painfully took its victims. The good news is now, almost 30 years later, treatments are effective and the diagnosis is not an immediate death sentence. Patients live many years after contracting HIV/AIDS.

The bad news? Our teens who personify risky behavior believes that HIV will not happen to them. According to Medill Reports, adolescents and young adults reportedly have the highest rates of new cases. The availability of better treatment "may be increasing the risks by lulling the fear."



"Cases of AIDS increased nationwide among teens by 16 percent from 2006 to 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases increased by more than 20 percent for young adults ages 20 to 24 in the same time period, the fastest paced increase among Americans, CDC figures show." (see above link)