Around 110,00 youth under the age of 19 died last year from AIDS-related causes, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, noting that coupled with 310,000 newly infected, the total number of young people living with HIV now stands at 2.7 million.
This warning that children are falling through the cracks came ahead of World AIDS day on Thursday with an urge from UNICEF Associate Chief of HIV/AIDS Anurita Bains for "renewed political commitment to reaching the most vulnerable, strategic partnership and resources to scale up programmes".
"Though children have long lagged behind adults in the AIDS response, the stagnation seen in the last three years is unprecedented, putting too many young lives at risk of sickness and death,” Bains said. "Children are falling through the cracks because we are collectively failing to find and test them and get them on life-saving treatment."
Ups and down but a long way to go
Despite accounting for only 7% of overall people living with HIV, children and adolescents comprised 17% of AIDS-related deaths, and 21% of new HIV infections last year.
However, it was pointed out that the longer-term trends remain positive. New HIV infections among children under age 14 dropped by 52% from 2010 to 2021, and new infections among 15- to 19-year-olds dropped by 40%. Additionally, among pregnant women living with HIV, coverage of lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART) increased from 46 to 81%.
In the HIV-priority countries of UNICEF, ART coverage for children was at 56% in 2020 but fell to 54% in 2021. According to UNICEF, there are a few factors responsible for this decline which include the pandemic and other crises since which have only increased marganilisation and poverty, as well as waning political will to make the treatment and prevention a priority.
Related News
The percentage of children living with the virus who are under the age of four which are not on ART increased to 72% last year, which is as high as it was in 2012. Due to pregnant women who were undiagnosed and therefore untreated, there were over 75,000 new child infections in 2021.
"With renewed political commitment to reaching the most vulnerable, strategic partnership and resources to scale up programmes, we can end AIDS in children, adolescents and pregnant women," Bains concluded.
