Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : August 3, 2022 10:51 AM IST
Leading international health agencies have raised concerned that a large number of children living with HIV have no access to life-saving treatment. According to the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022, only 52 per cent of children living with HIV worldwide are on life-saving treatment, far less likely than adults. In comparison, 76 per cent of all adults living with HIV are receiving antiretrovirals, the data showed. This is one of glaring disparities in the AIDS response, stated the United Nations agencies.
To address this widening gap, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO and partners have formed a new global alliance, which aims to ensure that all children living with HIV have access to treatment as well as prevent new infant HIV infections. The new Global Alliance for Ending AIDS in Children by 2030 was launched at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada.
The new global alliance also includes civil society movements, like the Global Network of People living with HIV, some of the most affected countries, and international partners, including PEPFAR and the Global Fund.
As of now, 12 countries have joined the alliance in the first phase, which are Angola, Cameroon, C te d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In order to end AIDS in children by 2030, the new global alliance will be focusing on these four areas:
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, commented, "No child should be born with or grow up with HIV, and no child with HIV should go without treatment."
