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Almost half (46%) of the 1.7 million children living with HIV globally were not on treatment in 2020 and 150,000 children were newly infected with HIV, four times the number of children living with HIV. 2020 target of 40,000
GENEVA, July 21, 2021– In the final report of the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free initiative, UNAIDS and partners * warn that progress towards eradicating AIDS in children, adolescents and young women has stalled and that none of the targets for 2020 have been met.
The report shows that the total number of children on treatment has declined for the first time, despite the fact that nearly 800,000 children living with HIV are currently not on treatment. It also shows that opportunities to identify infants and young children living with HIV early are missed: more than a third of children born to mothers living with HIV have not been tested. If left untreated, about 50% of children living with HIV die before reaching their second birthday.
“Over 20 years ago, initiatives for families and children to prevent vertical transmission and eliminate children who die of AIDS really kick-started what has now become our global response to AIDS. AIDS. This stems from an unprecedented activation of all partners, yet despite early and dramatic progress, despite more tools and knowledge than ever, children are far behind adults and far from our goals, ”said Shannon Hader, Deputy Executive Director of the UNAIDS Program. . “The inequalities are striking: children are almost 40% less likely than adults to receive life-saving treatment (54% of children vs. 74% of adults) and account for a disproportionate number of deaths (only 5% of all people living with with HIV are children, but children account for 15% of all AIDS-related deaths). It is about the right of children to health and a healthy life, their value in our societies. It is time to reactivate on all fronts: we need leadership, activism and investment to do what is right for children.
Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free is a five-year framework that began in 2015, following the huge success Global plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep their mothers alive. He called for a lightning-fast approach to ensure that every child has an HIV-free start, stays HIV-free through adolescence, and every child and adolescent living with HIV has access to antiretroviral therapy. The approach was scaled up in 23 countries, including 21 in Africa, which accounted for 83% of the global number of pregnant women living with HIV, 80% of children living with HIV and 78% of young women aged 15-24. years newly infected with HIV.
“The HIV community has a long history of meeting unprecedented challenges, today we need the same energy and perseverance to meet the needs of the most vulnerable: our children. African leaders have the power to help us change the pace of care and must act and lead until no child living with HIV is left behind, ”said Ren Minghui, Deputy Director General of the Division. Universal Health Coverage / Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases of the World Health Organization.
Although the 2020 targets were missed, the 21 target countries in Africa made better progress than the non-target countries. However, there were large disparities between countries, and these countries still bear the heaviest disease burden: 11 countries account for nearly 70% of “missing children”, that is, those living with HIV but are not undergoing treatment. There was a 24% drop in new HIV infections among children from 2015 to 2020 in target countries compared to a 20% drop globally. Target countries also achieved 89% treatment coverage for pregnant women living with HIV, up from 85% globally, but still below the 95% target, and there were huge differences between country. For example, Botswana achieved 100% treatment coverage, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo only achieved 39%.
“While we are deeply moved by the global pediatric HIV shortages, we are also encouraged that we have more than the tools we need to change this,” said Angeli Achrekar, Acting HIV Coordinator. AIDS in the United States. “So let this report be a call to action to challenge complacency and work tirelessly to close the gap. “
The report describes three actions needed to end new HIV infections among children in target countries. First, reach pregnant women with testing and treatment as early as possible – 66,000 new HIV infections have occurred in children because their mothers did not receive treatment during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Second, ensure continuity of treatment and viral suppression during pregnancy, breastfeeding and throughout life: 38,000 children have been newly infected with HIV because their mothers were not cared for during pregnancy and ‘feeding with milk. Third, prevent new HIV infections in pregnant and breastfeeding women – 35,000 new infections in children have occurred because a woman was newly infected with HIV during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Progress has been made in preventing adolescent girls and young women from contracting HIV. In target countries, the number of adolescent girls and young women acquiring HIV decreased by 27% between 2015 and 2020. However, the number of adolescent girls and young women acquiring HIV in the 21 target countries was 200,000, which is double the global target for 2020 (100,000). In addition, COVID-19 and school closures are now disrupting many sexual and reproductive health and education services for adolescent girls and young women, underscoring the urgent need to redouble HIV prevention efforts to achieve young women and adolescent girls.
“The lives of the most vulnerable girls and young women are at stake, locked in deep-rooted cycles of vulnerability and neglect that urgently need to be interrupted. With the endorsement of United Nations Member States, the new Global AIDS Strategy commits us all to tackle these cross-vulnerabilities to stop and reverse the effects of HIV by 2030. We know that quick wins can be obtained for girls and young women; what it takes is the courage to apply the solutions and the discipline to implement them rigorously and at scale, ”said Chewe Luo, head of HIV and associate director of health programs at the Health Fund. United Nations for Children.
UNAIDS and its partners will continue to work together to develop new frameworks to address the unfinished agenda. New goals for 2025 were formally adopted by United Nations member states in the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030 by June of this year, providing a roadmap for the next five years.
“It is clear that ending mother-to-child transmission requires innovative approaches that support all women throughout their lives, including intensified primary prevention efforts, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), l ‘access to comprehensive reproductive care and targeted attention. on adolescent girls and young women. The Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free report includes new goals for 2025 that, if met, will propel a new era of HIV prevention and treatment for women, children and families. Now is not the time for complacency, but rather the time to redouble investments to reduce and eliminate mother-to-child transmission, ”said Chip Lyons, President and CEO of Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
*The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, UNAIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization, with support from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation .
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 United Nations organizations — UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank — and works closely with global and national partners to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
PEPPAR
PEPFAR is a country’s largest single disease commitment in history. Managed and overseen by the US Department of State, and supported by the compassion and generosity of the American people, PEPFAR has saved 20 million lives, prevented millions of infections, and helped transform the global AIDS response.
Unicef
UNICEF works in some of the world’s most difficult places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for all. Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
WHO
Dedicated to the well-being of all and guided by science, the World Health Organization (WHO) leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance to lead a safe and healthy life. We are the United Nations health agency that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in more than 150 locations – leading the global response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of problems health care and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, ensure the security of the world and serve the vulnerable. www.who.int
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
EGPAF is a recognized leader in the fight for an AIDS-free generation and has reached over 31 million pregnant women with services to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies. Founded in 1988, EGPAF has supported over 15,000 sites and currently works in 17 countries to provide high quality HIV counseling, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and family health care. Each stage of life, from infancy to adulthood, brings new and different challenges, and EGPAF is determined to see a world where no other mother, child or family is devastated by this disease. For more information, visit www.pedaids.org.
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