Antigua and Barbuda is grappling with an alarming spike in HIV cases among teenagers and young adults after pandemic lockdowns dismantled years of prevention work, according to Delcora Williams, who oversees the nation's AIDS program. The nurse told state television that infections have surged most dramatically in people aged 15 to 19 and those between 24 and 48, with many young people engaging in risky sexual behavior despite ongoing stigma.
Williams blamed outdated laws that allow 16-year-olds to consent to sex but bar them from obtaining condoms or HIV tests without adult supervision, calling the contradiction dangerous and urging immediate reform. She also criticized schools that refused to send students to peer education sessions even as youth infections climb, questioning whether administrators would feel remorse if their pupils contracted the virus.
The program manager dismissed the growing notion among young people that HIV has become a manageable condition, emphasizing that the virus remains incurable and can progress to fatal AIDS without treatment.
Williams blamed outdated laws that allow 16-year-olds to consent to sex but bar them from obtaining condoms or HIV tests without adult supervision, calling the contradiction dangerous and urging immediate reform. She also criticized schools that refused to send students to peer education sessions even as youth infections climb, questioning whether administrators would feel remorse if their pupils contracted the virus.
The program manager dismissed the growing notion among young people that HIV has become a manageable condition, emphasizing that the virus remains incurable and can progress to fatal AIDS without treatment.
