The southern African nation of Botswana is grappling with a relatively new problem in the evolving AIDS pandemic: It now has a large group of HIV-positive adolescents.
The teenagers were infected at birth before Botswana managed to almost wipe out mother-to-child transmission of the virus. These children have survived because of a public health system that provides nearly universal access to powerful anti-AIDS drugs.
The teens pose a new challenge for health care providers in Botswana. Most of the kids have been on drug treatment all their lives. Some are becoming resistant to the most common medications. Others are becoming sexually active. Some are becoming rebellious and no longer want to take their drugs.
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