Newswise — On November 9, 2010, several members of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) addressed the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OAR) at their meeting entitled “HIV/AIDS and Adolescents.” The group of SAHM members who attended includes current SAHM President Lawrence D’Angelo, MD, MPH, FSAHM, along with Donna Futterman, MD, Gregory Zimet, PhD, FSAHM, and Ligia Peralta, MD.
The OAR is vested with the authority for overseeing all AIDS-related research for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Nov. 9 meeting focused on the national and international dilemmas of HIV infection in adolescents, a particularly vulnerable age group. SAHM members were invited to testify on all aspects of HIV in this age group and to suggest ways to combat it most effectively.
While HIV infection has begun to fall off in most age groups, rates in adolescents and young adults have decreased less substantially. Dr. Futterman’s presentation on HIV/AIDS as an international epidemic cited statistics that 40% of new cases of HIV infection worldwide occur in individuals 15-24 years of age. Drs. Zimet and Peralta presented on the ethical and legal aspects of involving youth in clinical research, while Dr. D’Angelo emphasized the challenges in successfully treating HIV-infected youth.
“The importance of OAR focusing on adolescents and young adults can’t be over emphasized,” says Dan Reirden, MD, Chair of SAHM’s HIV/AIDS subcommittee. “The infection in this age group has been ignored too long, and now we realize that the both the disease and the social conditions that spawn it are different in these youth. It will take a worldwide committed effort to combat it.”
In anticipation of World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1, SAHM calls for all health care professionals, community and policy leaders, schools and religious groups to develop and implement research interventions and programs and policies to curb the rise of HIV/AIDS in adolescents and young adults. SAHM, which issued its first position paper about adolescent HIV and AIDS in 1994, strongly supports interventions designed to promote widespread testing, easy access to youth-specific treatment, and careful research to show any differences that can influence the spread and treatment of the infection in youth. View SAHM’s position paper on HIV/AIDS in adolescents online.
“Another World AIDS Day shouldn’t come and go without a coordinated strategy and a commitment to adequate resources to ensure that we are armed with the best evidence-based research in our efforts to fight HIV infection in youth,” concluded Reirden.
To obtain more information or to speak to an expert, contact Kasia Chalko at SAHM headquarters.
The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine is a multi-disciplinary organization of health professionals who are committed to advancing the health and well-being of adolescents. Through education, research, clinical services and advocacy activities, members of SAHM strive to enhance public and professional awareness of adolescent health issues among families, educators, policy makers, youth-serving organizations, students who are considering a health career, as well as other health professionals. Learn more at www.adolescenthealth.org.
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100 Deerfield, IL 60015 +1-847-753-5226http:// www.adolescenthealth.org
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