AFRICA: Over 800,000 Children living with HIV are currently not receiving treatment while 150,000 Children are newly infected with HIV, a new Report has stated.
The report states that 66,000 new HIV infections occurred among children because their mothers did not receive treatment at all during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
38,000 children became newly infected with HIV because their mothers were not continued in care during pregnancy and breastfeeding while 35,000 new infections among children occurred because a woman became newly infected with HIV during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
The report which is the final report from the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS-Free initiative, UNAIDS and partners released during the International AIDS Society (IAS) 2021 Conference.
The report revealed stark inequalities in the access to HIV prevention and services for children as it stated that almost half of the world’s 1.7 children living with HIV were not on treatment in 2020.
The report further stated that the 150,000 children who were newly infected with HIV were four times more than the 2020 target of 40,000 stating that none of the targets of ending AIDS among children, adolescents and young women was met in 2020.
The report also showed that opportunities to identify infants and young children living with HIV early are being missed as more than one-third of children born to mothers living with HIV were not tested.
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UNAIDS and Partners Speak About Report
The Deputy Executive Director UNAIDS, Shannon Hader during the release of the report called for advocacy and commitment from leaders to address the inequalities in HIV treatments and prevention for children.
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“Over 20 years ago, initiatives for families and children to prevent vertical transmission and to eliminate children dying of AIDS truly kick-started what has now become our global AIDS response.
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“This stemmed from an unprecedented activation of all partners, yet, despite early and dramatic progress, despite more tools and knowledge than ever before, children are falling way behind adults and way behind our goals.
“The inequalities are striking, children are nearly 40 per cent less likely than adults to be on life-saving treatment (54 per cent of children versus 74 per cent of adults), and account for a disproportionate number of deaths (just 5 per cent of all people living with HIV are children, but children account for 15% of all AIDS-related deaths).
“This is about children’s right to health and healthy lives, their value in our societies. It is time to reactivate on all fronts, we need the leadership, activism, and investments to do what’s right for kids.”
The Acting United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Angeli Achrekar noted that although the 2020 targets were missed, 21 focus countries in Africa made better progress than the non-focus countries
“There was a 24 per cent decline in new HIV infections among children from 2015 to 2020 in focus countries versus a 20 per cent decline globally.
“Focus countries also achieved 89 per cent treatment coverage for pregnant women living with HIV, compared to 85 per cent globally, but still short of the target of 95 per cent, and there were huge differences between countries.
“For example, Botswana achieved 100 per cent treatment coverage, yet the Democratic Republic of the Congo only reached 39 per cent.
“While we are deeply distressed by the global paediatric HIV shortfalls, we are also encouraged by the fact that we largely have the tools we need to change this. So, let this report be a call to action to challenge complacency and to work tirelessly to close the gap.”
The Report
The “Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS-Free” report is a five-year framework that began in 2015, following on from the hugely successful Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.
It called for a super fast-track approach to ensure that every child has an HIV-free beginning, that they stay HIV-free through adolescence and that every child and adolescent living with HIV has access to antiretroviral therapy.
The approach intensified focus on 23 countries, 21 of which were in Africa, that accounted for 83 per cent of the global number of pregnant women living with HIV, 80 per cent of children living with HIV and 78 per cent of young women aged 15 to 24 years newly infected with HIV.
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Recommendations of the Report
The report outlines three actions necessary to end new HIV infections among children in the focus countries.
The actions include reaching pregnant women with testing and treatment as early as possible, ensuring the continuity of treatment and viral suppression during pregnancy, breastfeeding and for life and preventing new HIV infections among women who are pregnant and breastfeeding.
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Justina Asishana is a Nigerian from Edo state. She is a data and investigative journalist who also fact-checks. She covers health, agriculture, education and governance
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