The universal goal to end AIDS by 2030 will amount to nothing but a dream unless men and boys are meaningfully engaged as partners in the global response to AIDS. Historically, efforts to address HIV have largely focused on women and girls, but evidence suggests that men and women need to be equally targeted – as both are at risk of HIV. Over the years, women and girls have been shown to be at risk of HIV infection, with girls between the ages of 15 – 24 being most vulnerable. Who puts these women and girls at risk of infection? It’s obviously men and boys. Yet, the majority of men and boys are oblivious to their risk. Many men do not know their HIV status, they do not test for HIV, if infected they do not access treatment, when they eventually test for HIV it is often too late and they are most likely to die of AIDS-related complications compared to their female counterparts. Thus, while the face of AIDS is that of a woman, AIDS mortality has the face of a man.
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