Fears for children with HIV
Targets to reduce spread go unmet as infections are not properly managed
THIS year’s targets for children living with HIV are not being reached due to a lack of proper management when treating infections, according to data from the latest Start Free, Stay Free, Aids Free report released yesterday.
The Start Free, Stay Free, Aids Free framework was developed by global representatives sharing the same vision of reducing the spread of HIV in babies and young children.
The unreached targets have shown that children are dying from a preventable infection.
UN Children’s Fund executive director Henrietta Fore said: “For too long, the response to HIV has overlooked children, adolescent girls and young women, but there is hope.
“The recent momentum in reducing new infections among adolescent girls and young women in countries such as Eswatini and South Africa has shown us what is possible when governments and communities, led by girls themselves, join forces.”
She said joint efforts would ensure that the next generation of children remained free of HIV and Aids.
According to the report, new HIV infections among young women have been falling in some countries, including South Africa and Eswatini.
The report said there was a combination of prevention programmes for adolescent girls and young women in South Africa, which has resulted in a 35% drop in new HIV infections within this group.
Eswatini’s HIV infections dropped by 54% among young women aged 15 to 24 years. TB/HIV Care head of communication Alison Best said: “South Africa has invested its resources in the prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission of HIV to help try and avoid the phenomenon of children with HIV.
“This has been very successful with very low rates of transmission to children. However, where transmission does unfortunately occur, children do need specialised care, especially during the difficult period of adolescence.”
The report said that targets for HIV treatment were to provide 1.4 million children living with HIV with antiretroviral therapy by this year.
However, last year only 950 000 (53%) of the 1.8 million children living with HIV were receiving HIV treatment – much lower than the 67% of adults on treatment.
World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The lack of optimal HIV medicines with suitable paediatric formulations has been a long-standing barrier to improving health outcomes for children living with HIV, contributing towards low treatment coverage.
“Access to services for vulnerable groups must be expanded through stronger community engagement, improved service delivery, and tackling stigma and discrimination.”
Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric Aids Foundation executive officer Chip Lyons said the past decade was marked by innovation and progress in the field of paediatric HIV, but the dramatic miss on targets for children in this latest report was simply unacceptable.