Danny was 21 when he got the news from his partner while they were lying in bed one morning. 

His partner was HIV positive. He had been since they started having unprotected sex a year before. And he hadn't gotten treatment.

"It's never the right time to tell somebody that," said Danny, as he asked to be called because he hasn't revealed his HIV status to his employer. "But I'm glad that he finally came out and told me."

He added: "I guess it was really scary for him to have to disclose to me and possibly lose me." 

That was New Years Eve 2012. Danny is single now and a client of the Adolescent AIDS Program at Montefiore's Children's Hospital in the Bronx, the oldest adolescent AIDS program in the United States. Dr. Donna Futterman has been there since the early days of the program almost 30 years ago.

"The young people today don’t know that this is about them," she said. "We just have people shocked that they can get HIV."

While HIV infection rates fall across the U.S., the decline in HIV infection among 14-to-23 year olds lags behind that of all other age groups. Only about half of all young people living with HIV know they have it, and teens are the least likely of any demographic to get treatment, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Danny blames this lack of awareness on stigma.

"If people really knew," he said, "people would be able to see that it's not the end of the world if you have it. And people will ultimately be comfortable enough to disclose, so we can stop spreading it."

HIV is far more prevalent among teens of color and male or trans teens who have sex with men. Dr. Futterman said these young people know that HIV exists and understand its consequences, but they need more encouragement to value their health. They need to hear messages such as "We love you, your future’s important to us," she said. "But HIV is still there and you don’t have to catch it. Here's how you protect yourself." 

Johnny Guaylupo said he remembers first hearing that from Dr. Futterman when he was at the Adolescent AIDS Program 20 years ago.

"She still has the same smile, she still gives me the same hug," he said. But now, he's her colleague in HIV prevention instead of her client, as the Assistant Program Director for Youth and Prevention Services at Housing Works in East New York. 

Guaylupo said he was diagnosed with HIV when he was 17. He recalled having a hard time adhering to a treatment routine, even though he was fortunate having a stable home life with his grandmother in the Bronx. He said that homeless teens have it a lot worse. 

He said that one reason New York has such a high HIV prevalence rate among teens, second only to that of Washington, D.C., according to the C.D.C., is that it attracts a large number of homeless LGBTQ youth. That group is especially vulnerable to HIV.

Some homeless young people will have unprotected sex so that they can have a place to stay, Guaylupo said. And taking medication on a regular schedule often proves impossible for HIV-positive youth who don't have a medicine cabinet. 

"If you’re homeless," he explained, "and your priority is to look for shelter or to look for money to pay for shelter that night, then that’s all you’re really worried about.”

Fortunately for Danny, Dr. Futterman's client, the Adolescent AIDS Program helped him find housing. So he’s on top of his treatment, he has a job as a housekeeper. And he's working towards a new dream, to be an R&B music producer.