HIV BURDEN IN CHILDREN

Fast Facts:

• Of the estimated 2.1 million children under 15 years of age living with HIV, nearly 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• In 2016, less than half (43 per cent) of the estimated infants exposed to HIV were tested for HIV by 2 months of age.
• International guidelines advise that immediate antiretroviral therapy is crucial if HIV infection is detected in any child under the age 5 years. In reality, most children entering treatment programmes are older.

An estimated 2.1 million children under age 15 were living with HIV in 2016. In 2016, 160,000 children were newly infected with HIV, mainly through transmission of the virus from their mothers during pregnancy, delivery or while breastfeeding.

In 2016 an estimated 120,000 children died of AIDS-related causes globally. The vast majority of these deaths were preventable, either through antibiotic treatment of opportunistic infections and/or through antiretroviral treatment.

THERE HAS BEEN SOME PROGRESS IN ANTIRETROVIRAL COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV

Fast Facts:

• In 2016 about 920,000 children under age 15 were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally, up from about 640,000 in 2012, 350,000 in 2009 and 85,000 in 2005.
• This means that less than half of children under the age of 15 living with HIV are receiving ART (43%).

In 2016 coverage of eligible children under age 15 receiving ART varied widely, ranging from 2 per cent in some countries to over 95 per cent in others. Regionally, coverage of ART for children ranged from 21 per cent in West and Central Africa to 62 per cent in East Asia and the Pacific. Coverage data for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North America and Western Europe are not available, although levels are believed to be high.

Early diagnosis and treatment are particularly critical in the case of infants. The ‘Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy’ study from South Africa demonstrated a 76 per cent reduction in mortality when treatment is initiated in the first 12 weeks of life among infants who test positive for HIV.

Countries have made some progress in expanding access to early infant HIV-testing services. However, the uptake of HIV testing among children aged 0-14 worldwide remains low, at only 43 per cent. WHO’s revised treatment guidelines recommend that infants, if HIV-exposed, should be tested by 4 to 6 weeks and 9 months of age using virological assay, and when the child stops breastfeeding with a rapid antibody test. Those found positive should be started on antiretroviral therapy immediately upon diagnosis.

For more information on UNICEF’s programme and policy work on HIV and AIDS in children, click here.