Elimination of mother-to-child transmission

Last update: July 2023 | Next update: July 2024

Progress in reducing new HIV infections among children has stagnated in recent years

Fast facts:
  • About 130,000 [confidence bounds: 90,000-210,000] new HIV infections among children under five occurred in 2022, dramatically declining from 310,000 [210,000-490,000] in 2010 and representing a 58 per cent decline.

Progress in reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been dramatic since the introduction in 2011 of the ‘Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children and Keeping their Mothers Alive’ – largely because of increased access to PMTCT-related services and an increased number of pregnant women living with HIV being initiated on lifelong antiretroviral medicines. But progress is not fast enough to reach the 2025 targets set by UNAIDS and partners as part of the UNAIDS Global Strategy to End AIDS. Acceleration of treatment for all pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV is still needed to achieve the elimination of new infections among children and halve HIV-related deaths among pregnant women and new mothers.

 

 

Data sources + methodology

Global AIDS monitoring 2023

In order to monitor the HIV response and progress towards achieving global goals, countries submit national and subnational data on a host of indicators to the Global AIDS Monitoring (GAM) system. Annual submissions are reviewed and validated. Data consist of programmatic data for HIV prevention, testing and treatment. Other indicators require data from population-based surveys and surveys focused on key populations at risk of HIV infection.

For more information, click here.

UNAIDS Estimates and Spectrum’s AIDS Impact Model

Each year countries update their AIDS Impact Model in Avenir Health’s Spectrum software to develop the latest estimates for the HIV epidemic. Supported by UNAIDS, WHO and UNICEF these estimates are used to inform programme and policy decisions for HIV epidemic response.

Useful links:

Methods for HIV modelling are developed by the UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Modelling and Projections.

All available data on HIV estimates are available at aidsinfo.unaids.org.

Nationally representative surveys

Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS), Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIA) reproductive health surveys, sexual behaviour surveys and other nationally representative surveys are currently used to collect data on HIV and AIDS.