HIV infection and AIDS in adolescents: an update of the position of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

The Society reaffirms its call for accurate and comprehensive monitoring of HIV infection in youth. The Society endorses efforts to expand knowledge of HIV infection to youth from all countries and recognizes that priorities in this regard need to be based on local needs, not externally developed policies. The Society supports research into HIV care and treatment initiatives that are focused on youth. The Society supports expansion of testing and counseling efforts that utilize state-of-the-art techniques and an immediate linkage to comprehensive care for positive or concerned youth. The Society endorses community based HIV/AIDS prevention and education that recognizes the importance of abstinence but that is comprehensive and sensitive to the needs of all adolescents, including those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning. The Society supports continued research focusing on the antecedents of HIV infection and important preventive tools such as microbicides and vaccines.