A new report on the Global
Plan towards elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and
keeping their mothers alive (Global Plan) has revealed a marked increase in
progress in stopping new infections in children across the Global Plan priority
countries in Africa.
New report also shows that access to
treatment remains unacceptably low for children––only 3 in 10 children in need
of treatment have access in most of the ‘Global Plan’ priority countries
The report outlines that seven
countries in sub-Saharan Africa—Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, South
Africa and Zambia—have reduced new HIV infections among children by 50% since
2009. Two others—the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe—are also making
substantial progress. It highlights that there were 130 000 fewer new HIV
infections among children across the 21 Global Plan priority countries in
Africa––a drop of 38% since 2009.
“The progress in the majority of
countries is a strong signal that with focused efforts every child can be born
free from HIV,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “But in some countries with high
numbers of new infections progress has stalled. We need to find out why and
remove the bottlenecks which are preventing scale-up.”
With a 76% decline since 2009, Ghana
showed the greatest decline in the rate of new infections among children and
South Africa showed a 63% decline (24 000 fewer new HIV infections in 2012
than in 2009). However, the pace of decline in some of the Global Plan priority
countries has been slow and in Angola, new HIV infections have even increased.
New infections among children in Nigeria––which has the largest number of
children acquiring HIV (nearly 60 000 new HIV infections among children in
2012)––remained largely unchanged since 2009. Without urgent action in Nigeria
the global target for 2015 may not be reached.
More pregnant women living with HIV
were receiving antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV from being transmitted
to their children and for their own health in 2012 than in 2009, with coverage
levels exceeding 75% in many countries. Increased coverage has reduced HIV
transmission rates from mother to child in most countries. Botswana and South
Africa have reduced transmission rates to 5% or below.
“We
have the tools required to reach the Global Plan’s goals, and recent data show
that we are moving ever closer to their realization,” said Ambassador Eric P.
Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. “This month, as U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry announced, the one millionth baby will be born HIV-free due to
PEPFAR’s support. Now, we must all continue working together to see the day
when no children are born with HIV, which is within our reach,” he added.
The report however also reveals that
only half of all breastfeeding women living with HIV or their children receive
antiretroviral medicines to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. It
outlines that breastfeeding is critical to ensuring child survival and strongly
emphasizes the urgent need to provide antiretroviral therapy during the
breastfeeding period.
More than half of the children
eligible for treatment in South Africa and Swaziland now have access. Chad,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, United Republic of
Tanzania and Zimbabwe have doubled the numbers of children accessing treatment
from 2009 to 2012. While the report outlines that the number of children
requiring HIV treatment will reduce as new HIV infections decline, urgent steps
need to be taken to improve early diagnosis of HIV in children and ensure
timely access to antiretroviral treatment.
The number of pregnant women living
with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy for their own health has increased
since 2009. In Botswana, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and
Zambia, more than 75% of the pregnant women eligible receive antiretroviral
therapy and more than 50% in Kenya, Lesotho, the United Republic of Tanzania
and Zimbabwe. Increasing access to antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women
living with HIV for their own health is critical.
The Global Plan towards
elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their
mothers alive is an initiative spearheaded by the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United States Presidents Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which was unveiled in June 2011 at the UN General
Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS. It has two main targets for 2015: a 90%
reduction in the number of children newly infected with HIV and a 50% reduction
in the number of AIDS-related maternal deaths. The Plan focuses on the 22*
countries which account for 90% of new HIV infections among children.
This second progress report presents
the progress made by the 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and some of the
challenges they face in meeting the agreed targets for 2015.
* Angola, Botswana, Burundi,
Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia,
Ghana, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South
Africa,Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
