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Eastern and Southern Africa is home to more than 60% of children and adolescents living with HIV. This is the region where the fight against HIV has made the most progress. Coverage of maternal antiretroviral treatment among pregnant and lactating women living with HIV reached 93% in this region in 2017. It is essential to maintain these gains and continue to reach children, adolescents and women at risk and living with HIV. with HIV. In 2017, approximately 120,000 adolescents aged 10 to 19 and 94,000 children aged 0 to 9 years were newly infected with HIV. They are now part of the estimated 1.9 million children and adolescents living with HIV in the region. Despite progress being made, 65,000 children and adolescents in the region have died of an AIDS-related cause in 2017.
Analysis
Of the 94,000 new HIV infections among children aged 0 to 9 in 2017 in eastern and southern Africa, the majority (51,000) occurred after birth, reflecting the failure of PMTCT programs during l & # 39; breastfeeding. The "last mile" towards eliminating vertical transmission is based on the need to fill the gaps in HIV testing, treatment and care for vulnerable mothers and their infants after birth.
Continuous and accelerated progress in PMTCT programming can not be achieved without improved HIV prevention efforts among adolescents, especially adolescent girls and young women. The total annual number of new HIV infections among 10-19 year olds in 2017 was only about 25% lower than in 2010. Demographic trends indicate a continued sharp increase of 23% in the population Teenager between 2018 and 2030 urgently emphasize the importance of extensive and sustained prevention efforts targeting this age group.
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