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Despite Progress, the Global AIDS Response Is Failing Children

The number of children acquiring HIV has dropped by over 60% since 2010 – a tremendous accomplishment in the fight against HIV. And yet, children who are living with HIV are less likely to know their status, less likely to be on treatment, and less likely to be virally suppressed than adults. These growing inequities result in children bearing a disproportionate share of AIDS-related deaths.

Too many families are losing too many children, even when the tools exist to save their lives. 

Children Need Care: Pediatric Treatment

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is lifesaving for children living with HIV. Without treatment, half will die by age two and 80% by age five.

Despite this, pediatric treatment coverage lags far behind adults — a 20-point gap that represents one of the most persistent inequities in the HIV response.

Finding the Missing Children

One-third of children living with HIV still do not know their status.

Testing is the first step toward treatment and survival. EGPAF helps find and diagnose these children through:

Point-of-Care Early Infant Diagnosis

Rapid, on-site testing shortens the time from test to result, enabling faster ART initiation and reducing illness and death.

Index Testing

Nearly 60% of undiagnosed children are over age five. Testing all children of people living with HIV helps identify these older children and connect them to care.

Optimizing Treatment

When children have access to the right treatment, they can thrive.

EGPAF works to close critical gaps in pediatric HIV care by:

Reducing drug development delays

New adult HIV drugs often take years to reach children. Faster regulatory approval and innovative trial designs can eliminate this lag.

Developing child-friendly formulations

Pediatric medicines are often bitter, bulky, or hard to dose. New formulations like pediatric dolutegravir — easy to swallow or mix with food — improve adherence and outcomes.

Achieving Viral Suppression

The ultimate goal of HIV care is for every person — including every child — to live a long, healthy life.

When children reach viral suppression, they avoid opportunistic infections, stay healthy, and cannot transmit HIV to others.

But too many still face barriers to testing, adherence, and care.

Here’s how EGPAF helps change that:

Improving adherence

Education, psychosocial support, and child-centered service delivery — such as multi-month ART refills or child-friendly clinic days — help children stay on treatment.

Expanding viral load testing

Routine viral load monitoring ensures effective treatment and guides providers to optimize regimens.

Ensuring social protection

Access to education, nutrition, gender equity, and child protection strengthens long-term well-being.

Preventing mortality

In 2023, children represented just 3% of people living with HIV but 12% of AIDS-related deaths. Improved antenatal and pediatric care can prevent most of these losses.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Ending pediatric AIDS is within reach — but only if the world acts now. For more than 35 years, EGPAF has been unwavering in its mission to end AIDS in children. We will not stop until every child is born and grows up HIV-free. Join us in fighting for these changes — and help make an AIDS-free generation a reality.

“Sometimes in life there is that moment when it’s possible to make a change for the better. This is one of those moments.”

Join us

Keep Reading

EGPAF is leading the charge to end pediatric HIV, ensuring every child has the chance to grow up healthy and HIV-free. Read more stories about our work to care for and protect children affected by HIV.

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Daniel, a boy living in southwest Uganda, began to fall ill in his early years of life. Eventually, his mother took him to Kisoro Hospital, where he was diagnosed with HIV. Initially, Daniel responded well to medication and achieved viral suppression—meaning that HIV became undetectable in his blood.   However, following his parents’ separation, Daniel encountered […]

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Patricia Mbabazi’s smile fills the room as she attentively listens to Mahoro Florah, a matron at her school in Kisoro—in southwest Uganda, near the Rwanda border. Patricia, 16, is alive and healthy today, but it has been a difficult path to well-being—with Mahoro alongside her for much of the journey.  At the age of 2, […]

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In Tanzania, children living with HIV face unique challenges in understanding their condition and the importance of adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Many children, especially those under 10, struggle with complex HIV terminologies and the importance of their treatment. This lack of understanding often leads to poor adherence to ART, which is critical for viral […]

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