Annan calls for better AIDS education and services for adolescents

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday called for better education and HIV/AIDS services for adolescents to help stem the rising tide of HIV infections around the world. In a message commemorating World Population Day, Annan said that information and services are "crucial" in the fight against AIDS because teaching young people how HIV is transmitted and instructing them on how to prevent themselves from exposure to the virus can help lower HIV infection rates. Half of all new HIV infections around the world now occur among young people, Annan said, and steps need to be taken now to slow the spread of HIV among teenagers and young adults before the epidemic threatens to wipe out an entire generation in nations hit hard by the disease. For more information about World Population Day, visit the United Nations Population Fund's Web site at www.unfpa.org.