According to UNICEF chief Anthony Lake at the start of a major international conference on virus, HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of death among Africans aged between 10 and 19.Lake said in a statement released in first day of AIDS 2016 that “Despite remarkable global progress in tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic, much work remains to be done to protect children and adolescents from infection, sickness and death”. The event is being held in the South African city of Durban.“AIDS is still the number two cause of death for those aged 10-19 globally — and number one in Africa,” added the head of the UN children’s agency.According to UNICEF, AIDS-related deaths among people aged between 15 and 19 have more than doubled since 2000, with 29 new infections within this age group taking place across the world every hour.“Girls are particularly vulnerable, making up about 65 per cent of new adolescent infections worldwide,” said the statement.“In sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for about 70 per cent of people in the world living with HIV, three out of every four adolescents newly infected by HIV in 2015 were girls.”Some 68 per cent of 52,000 young people surveyed in 16 countries said they did not want to be tested, both because they were afraid of an HIV-positive result, and because they were worried about social stigma.Remember to play safe and always use a condom.Source  – http://guardian.ng/