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UNICEF calls for urgent intensification of treatment and prevention programs for adolescents, data showing a slow reduction in the number of HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths
NEW YORK / JOHANNESBURG, November 29, 2018 – Approximately 360,000 adolescents will die of AIDS-related illnesses between 2018 and 2030. This means 76 teenage deaths each day – without additional investment in prevention, screening and treatment programs of HIV, said UNICEF in a statement. new report published today.
The report, Children, HIV and AIDS: The World in 2030, notes that, based on current population projections and trends, the number of people aged 0 to 19 years newly infected with HIV will reach about 270,000. in 2030, a decrease of one day. third on current estimates. It shows that the number of children and adolescents who die of AIDS will decline from 119,000 to 56,000 in 2030.
However, this downward trajectory is too slow, especially among adolescents. According to the report, by 2030, the number of new HIV infections in children during the first decade of life will be halved, while the number of new infections among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years will only decrease by 29%.
The number of AIDS-related deaths is expected to decrease by 57% among children under 14, compared to 35% among 15-19 year-olds.
"The report clearly indicates, without a shadow of a doubt, that the world is not on the right track to end AIDS in children and adolescents by 2030" said Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF. "Programs to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to babies are paying off, but they have not gone far enough, while programs to treat the virus and prevent its spread among older children are far from where they should be. "
UNICEF estimates that nearly 700 adolescents aged 10 to 19 are newly infected with HIV every day – or one every two minutes. According to the report, by 2030, the number of new HIV infections in children during the first decade of life will be halved, while the number of new infections among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years will only decrease by 29%.
The report also notes that:
It is estimated that 1.9 million children and adolescents will still be living with HIV in 2030, mainly in Eastern and Southern Africa (1.1 million), followed by West and Central Africa ( 571,000) and Latin America and the Caribbean (84,000).
Currently, 3 million children and adolescents live with HIV worldwide, more than half of them in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The reduction in the number of people aged 0 to 19 living with HIV between 2018 and 2030 will also vary from region to region, with the largest decrease in South Asia (almost 50%) and in Africa Eastern and Southern (40%). On the other hand, this number will only decrease by 24% in Central and West Africa, the region ranked second among the most affected countries.
The report highlights two major "gaps" in the HIV response for children and adolescents: slow progress in HIV prevention in young children and the lack of consideration of the structural and behavioral factors of HIV. the epidemic. Many children and adolescents do not know if they are HIV-positive or not, and among those who have been found to be HIV-positive and under treatment, very few adhere to this treatment.
To address these persistent gaps, the report recommends a number of approaches, supported by UNICEF, including: family-based testing to help identify and treat children living with HIV but not still diagnosed; more diagnostic technologies at the point of care to improve early infant diagnosis; increased use of digital platforms to improve HIV knowledge among adolescents; adolescent friendly services; and targeted community outreach for adolescents.
"We can not win the fight against HIV if we do not accelerate progress in preventing transmission to the next generation," Fore said. "We need to maintain the sense of urgency to sustain progress over the past decade – for both boys and girls. And to do this, we must seek innovative and preventative ways to reach the most vulnerable and at-risk youth. "
Notes to editors
On Thursday 29 November 2018, from 10:00 to 14:00 (SAST), UNICEF will organize a round table in Johannesburg, which will be broadcast live on Facebook. Panel members include:
* Dr. Shaffiq Essajee, Deputy Head, HIV Section, UNICEF Headquarters
* Rose Mekinda, Cameroonian nurse
* Saidy Brown, HIV-positive activist campaigning against stigma
* Toya Delazy, a South African singer and songwriter who has lost family members to AIDS.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in the most difficult places in the world to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child around the world to build a better world for all. For more information on UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.
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