The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) published the Global Snapshot on HIV and AIDS: Progress and Priorities for Children, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women, which provides global statistical and response updates on children, adolescents, and pregnant women.
- As per the publication, nearly 98,000 adolescent girls aged 10-19 were infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 2022 – or 1,900 new infections every week, it shows a significant testing and medication access gaps persist among children and adolescents.
- The report was published ahead of World Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) Day 2023 (1 December)
Analysis of the Global Snapshot:
i.The Global Snapshot further highlights how children and young adolescents encounter significant hurdles in accessing HIV treatment.
ii.Globally, almost 1 million people aged 0-19 living with HIV lack treatment.
- Eastern and Southern Africa bear the highest burden (about 60%) for untreated HIV infection among the 0-19 age group, followed by West and Central Africa, East Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia.
Key Facts:
i.In 2022, despite a commendable reduction in HIV infections among girls aged 10-19, challenges persist, especially for adolescent girls.
- Total infections in girls aged 10-19 nearly halved since 2010 (190,000 to 98,000).
- However, girls remain more than twice as likely to contract HIV compared to boys.
ii.Globally, 270,000 new HIV infections occurred among individuals aged 0-19 in 2022.
- The total number of young people living with HIV reached 2.6 million.
iii.In 2022, the number of adolescent girls and young women acquiring HIV was halved (53%) compared to 2010.
Note: Girls face disproportionate challenges in the battle against HIV, rooted in gender inequalities, geographical barriers, and limited access to crucial health programs.
Sub-Saharan Africa- highest rates of HIV risk:
i.In Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV prevalence among girls (10-24 years) is consistently over 3 times higher than among boys.
ii.Sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to approximately 87% of children (0–14 years) and 82% of adolescents (10–19 years) living with HIV.
Diagnostic Hindrances for Children:
i.Cumbersome processes hinder timely diagnoses for children.
- Specific testing requirements for infants are often unavailable in many middle- and lower-income countries.
ii.Only 57% of children aged 0–14 receive Antiretroviral Treatment (ART), in contrast to 77% of those aged 15 and above.
Note: Despite comprising 7% of people living with HIV, children and adolescents (0-19 years) accounted for 15% of AIDS-related deaths in 2022.
Challenges of Pregnant Women:
i.The number of pregnant women living with HIV is 1.2 million and 25% of all pregnant women living with HIV, globally, are aged 15–24 years
ii.Vertical transmission during pregnancy and breastfeeding was significantly reduced but challenges persist with ART coverage stagnating.
- Vertical transmission rates dropped from 23% in 2010 to around 11% in 2022.
iii.Pregnant women with HIV not universally receive antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.
- In 2010, only 48% of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV received ARV drugs and in 2022 this had increased to 82% but progress has stalled.
Other Publications:
Apart from the global snapshot, UNICEF released a set of new publications for World AIDS Day 2023:
1.Regional Snapshots on HIV and AIDS;
- For West and Central Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa.
2.Leveraging the Learning: Insights from HIV programming for pregnant and parenting adolescents;
- It is the first report in the new Leveraging the Learning series.
3.Getting back on track to ending AIDS in Children: It could just be easier than you think.
Recent related News:
The United Nations (UN) report titled, “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The Gender Snapshot 2023″ states that the world is failing in its efforts towards achieving SDG 5: gender equality, due to the biases against women around the world in health, education, employment and the halls of power.
About United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):
Executive Director– Catherine M. Russell
Headquarters– New York, United States of America (USA)
Established in– 1946
