Critical Push Needed to Scale Up HIV Services for Children and End AIDS by 2030
Despite progress in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among children, a new report highlights the urgent need to scale up HIV services to meet the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
A new report underscores the need for urgent scaling up of HIV services in hard-hit countries to end AIDS by 2030. Despite progress in reducing infections and deaths among children, the pace of progress has slowed, necessitating renewed efforts and collaboration.
A recent report by the Global Alliance for Ending AIDS in Children by 2030 reveals significant strides in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among children. However, it emphasizes the urgent need to enhance HIV services in the hardest-hit countries to meet the ambitious goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
Progress in Reducing HIV Infections Among Children
The report, “Transforming Vision Into Reality,” highlights the success of programs targeting the vertical transmission of HIV, which have prevented 4 million infections among children aged 0-14 since 2000. Worldwide, new HIV infections among children have dropped by 38% since 2015, and AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 43%. This progress is attributed to the widespread implementation of antiretroviral therapy for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV.
Countries like Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa are leading the way with nearly complete coverage of antiretroviral therapy among pregnant and breastfeeding women. Uganda is nearing 100% coverage, while Tanzania and South Africa have achieved 98% and 97%, respectively. Other countries, including Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Côte d’Ivoire, have also made significant progress, with coverage rates ranging from 84% to 90%.
Challenges in Achieving HIV-related Commitments
Despite these achievements, the report stresses that the global community and the Global Alliance countries are not on track to meet HIV-related commitments for children and adolescents. In recent years, the progress in preventing new HIV infections and cutting down AIDS-related deaths among children has slowed down.
UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, underscores the need for immediate action: “With the medicines and science available today, we can ensure that all babies are born – and remain –HIV-free, and ensure that all children with HIV start and continue their treatment. Services for treatment and prevention must be ramped up immediately to ensure they reach all children everywhere.”
The Treatment Gap: A Major Concern
A significant concern highlighted in the report is the treatment gap between adults and children. Currently, only 57% of children living with HIV receive life-saving treatment, compared to 77% of adults. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, calls for stronger collaboration to close this gap: “Accelerating the delivery and uptake of HIV services for children and adolescents is a moral obligation and a political choice.”
The report reveals that in 2023, approximately 120,000 children aged 0-14 became infected with HIV, with around 77,000 of these infections occurring in Global Alliance countries. AIDS-related deaths among children in this age group totaled 76,000 worldwide, with 49,000 of these deaths happening in Global Alliance countries. Vertical transmission rates remain alarmingly high in some locations, particularly in Western and Central Africa.
Addressing Gender Inequality and Human Rights Violations
The report also highlights the critical issue of gender inequality and human rights violations, which increase women’s vulnerability to HIV and limit their access to essential services. Almost one in three women worldwide has faced violence at some point in their lives, with teenage girls and young women being especially affected by violence from intimate partners. This reality underscores the need for targeted interventions to protect young women’s health and reduce the risk of new infections among children.
“In the fight against HIV, we must do a much better job for children,” says Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. “We have been procuring the latest pediatric treatment regimens and ensuring exposed infants are rapidly tested and initiated on appropriate antiretroviral treatment.”
A Renewed Commitment to Ending AIDS in Children
The Global Alliance for Ending AIDS in Children by 2030, launched in 2022 by WHO, UNICEF, and UNAIDS, aims to reinvigorate the pediatric HIV agenda. It includes civil society movements, national governments, and international partners like PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Despite the progress made, the report calls for a renewed commitment to fulfill the promises of ending AIDS in children by 2030.
Ambassador John N. Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, emphasizes the need for innovation and purpose: “While much progress has been made, large gaps remain, and we must recommit with purpose and innovation to fulfill our promises by 2025 and beyond.”
The fight against HIV in children is far from over, and the report serves as a crucial reminder of the need for urgent and concerted efforts to scale up HIV services, close treatment gaps, and address the underlying issues of gender inequality and human rights violations. By doing so, the global community can achieve the goal of ending AIDS in children by 2030.
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