A new UN report emphasises the urgent need to scale up HIV services in countries most affected by the epidemic to meet the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

The report was released by the Global Coalition to End Childhood AIDS by 2030

Since 2000, programmes targeting vertical transmission of HIV have prevented 4 million infections among children aged 0-14 years.

New HIV infections in this age group have declined by 38% since 2015, and AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 43%.

Countries such as Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa have made remarkable progress, achieving near-universal coverage of lifelong antiretroviral therapy for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV.

“With the medicines and science available today, we can ensure that all children are born – and stay – HIV-free,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.

“The death of any child from AIDS-related causes is not only a tragedy but also an outrage. The world can and must fulfill its promise to end AIDS in children by 2030.”

Despite these successes, the report warns that neither the global community nor the Global Coalition countries are currently moving toward meeting their HIV-related commitments for children and adolescents.

The pace of progress in preventing new infections and reducing AIDS-related mortality among children has slowed in recent years.

“While we have made progress in increasing access to testing and treatment for pregnant women to prevent vertical transmission of HIV, we are still far from closing the paediatric treatment gap,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

In 2023, approximately 120,000 children aged 0 to 14 years will be infected with HIV, with 77,000 new infections occurring in Global Alliance countries.

The total number of AIDS-related deaths among children in this age group is 76,000 worldwide, of which 49,000 deaths occurred in these countries.

In some areas, particularly in western and central Africa, vertical transmission rates remain high.

The treatment gap between adults and children continues to grow. According to Anurita Bains, UNICEF’s Associate Director for HIV/AIDS, only 57% of children with HIV receive life-saving treatment, while only 77% of adults receive life-saving treatment.

In addition to tackling the childhood HIV crisis, the report highlights the need to prevent new infections among young women and girls aged 15-24.

In 2023, there will be 2,10,000 new infections globally in this age group, well above the 2025 target of 50,000.

The Global Coalition to End Childhood AIDS by 2030, which will be launched in 2022 by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNAIDS, includes civil society movements, national governments of the most affected countries and international partners.

Its members include Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.