The United Nations Children’s Fund on Friday raised the alarm over high rates of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among young women and girls, warning that they lack access to prevention and treatment.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said in a report ahead of World Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Day on Saturday that 96,000 girls and 41,000 boys aged 15-19 will die of HIV in 2023. Newly infected, that is seven of them. 10 new adolescent infections were among girls.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 9 out of 10 new HIV infections among girls aged 15–19 were in the most recent period for which data are available.
“Children and adolescents are not fully reaping the benefits of access to treatment and prevention services,” said Anurita Benes, UNICEF’s Associate Director of HIV/AIDS.
“Children still living with HIV should be prioritized when investing resources and efforts to expand treatment for all, including the expansion of modern testing technologies.”
About 77% of adults living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy, but only 57% of children aged 14 and under and 65% of adolescents aged 15-19 receive life-saving antiretroviral therapy. Can get medicine.
Children aged 14 and under make up only 3% of those living with HIV, but account for 12% – 76,000 – of AIDS deaths in 2023.
According to a report by the UNAIDS agency, about 1.3 million people will be affected by the disease in 2023.
This is still three times more than is needed to reach the UN goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
About 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses last year, the lowest level since a peak of 2.1 million in 2004, the report said ahead of World AIDS Day on Sunday.
Much of the progress was attributed to antiretroviral treatments that can reduce the amount of virus in patients’ blood.
The report warned that of the approximately 40 million people living with HIV worldwide, approximately 9.3 million are not receiving treatment.