only urgent and accelerated provision of HIV services will fulfill the promise of ending AIDS in children by 2030.

Despite progress made in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among children, a new report released today by the Global Alliance to End Childhood AIDS by 2030 shows that there is an urgent need to scale up HIV services in the countries most affected by the pandemic to end AIDS by 2030.

Report, Making a vision a reality, shows that programs targeting vertical transmission of HIV have prevented 4 million infections among children aged 0-14 years since 2000. Globally, new HIV infections among children aged 0-14 years have decreased by 38% since 2015, and AIDS-related deaths fell by 43 percent.

Among the twelve Global Alliance countries, several have achieved strong lifelong antiretroviral therapy coverage among pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV, with Uganda close to 100%, the United Republic of Tanzania at 98%, and South Africa at 97%. Mozambique achieved 90% coverage, with Zambia 90%, Angola 89%, Kenya 89%, Zimbabwe 88% and Cote d'Ivoire 84%.

“I welcome the progress many countries are making in rolling out HIV services to keep young women healthy and protect babies and children from HIV,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “With the drugs and science available today, we can ensure that all babies are born – and remain – HIV-free, and that all children living with HIV receive and remain on treatment. Treatment and prevention services must be scaled up immediately to ensure they reach all children everywhere. We cannot rest on our laurels. The death of any child from AIDS-related causes is not only a tragedy, but also an insult. Where I come from, all children are our children. The world can and must keep its promise to end AIDS in children by 2030.”

Global Alliance countries are innovating to overcome obstacles and accelerate progress toward ending AIDS in children. However, despite progress, neither the world nor the countries of the Global Alliance are currently on track to achieve HIV commitments for children and adolescents, and the pace of progress in preventing new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among children has slowed in recent years. year.

“Accelerating the provision and uptake of HIV services for children and adolescents is a moral imperative and a political choice,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “Twelve countries show that they have made that choice, but significant challenges remain. Although we have made progress in increasing pregnant women's access to testing and treatment to prevent vertical transmission of HIV, we are still far from closing the pediatric treatment gap. We must further strengthen the cooperation and reach of the Global Alliance, and we must do this work with focus, purpose and in solidarity with all affected mothers, children and adolescents.”

About 120,000 children aged 0-14 years will be infected with HIV in 2023, with about 77,000 new infections occurring in Global Alliance countries. AIDS-related deaths among children aged 0-14 years totaled 76,000 worldwide, with Global Alliance countries responsible for 49,000 of these unnecessary deaths. Vertical transmission rates remain extremely high in some locations, particularly in West and Central Africa, with rates exceeding 20% ​​in countries including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“In the fight against HIV, we have to do a much better job for children,” said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which provides funding for HIV programs in more than 100 countries across the country. guided partnership model. “In support of national programs, we have been procuring the latest pediatric dolutegravir-based treatment regimens at negotiated prices. Our investments in laboratory systems help ensure rapid testing of exposed infants and rapid initiation of antiretroviral treatment for those who test positive. Differentiated testing and treatment approaches help close the diagnostic gap and ensure more child-centered services are provided.”

Worryingly, the treatment gap between adults and children continues to widen.

“Only 57 percent of children living with HIV receive life-saving treatment, compared to 77 percent of adults,” said UNICEF's Assistant Director for HIV/AIDS, Anurita Bains. “Without early and effective testing and treatment, HIV remains a constant threat to the health and well-being of children and adolescents, putting them at risk of death. To close the treatment gap, we need to support governments to scale up innovative approaches to testing and ensure that children and adolescents living with HIV get the treatment and support they need.”

In 2023, there were 210,000 new infections globally among young women and girls aged 15-24 (130,000 in Global Alliance countries), four times the 2025 target of 50,000. Preventing new infections among in this age group is crucial for protecting the health and well-being of young women and for reducing the risk of new infections among children.

Gender inequalities and human rights violations increase women's vulnerability to HIV and reduce their ability to access basic services. Globally, nearly one in three women have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, with adolescent girls and young women disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence. In the four Global Alliance countries with available data, countries are currently not on track to achieve the goal of less than 10% of women, key populations and people living with HIV experiencing gender-based inequality and gender-based violence by 2025.

“It was remarkable to see how many more children's lives can be saved when all stakeholders and partners come together to commit to ending AIDS in children. Although great progress has been made, particularly through the successful introduction of the pediatric dolutegravir, there are still major gaps across the pediatric cascades and we must rededicate ourselves to purpose and innovation to deliver on the promises we made by 2025 and beyond,” said Ambassador John N. Nkengasong, United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy.

In 2022, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNAIDS launched the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030 to reinvigorate the pediatric HIV program. It has now grown to include, in addition to United Nations agencies, civil society movements, including the Global Network of People Living with HIV, national governments in the worst-affected countries, and international partners, including PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Twelve countries are members: Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.