Pediatric HIV
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.
Reaching those children and their families is at the core of our mission at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF).
In 2023, there were 1.4 million children living with HIV around the world.
Approximately 85% of children living with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Only 48% of children living with HIV were virally suppressed in 2023.
Finding Missing Children Through HIV Testing
The first step in treating a child living with HIV is testing. When children and their caregivers know their status, they can be connected with lifesaving treatment.
Unfortunately, one-third of children still do not know their HIV status.
Incredible progress has been made in children’s access to HIV testing. Early infant testing has been a game changer for babies born with HIV.
However, 60% of children living with HIV who are not on treatment are over the age of 5. Index testing all children of people living with HIV is a key tactic for finding older children with HIV who have not yet learned their status.
The Importance of Pediatric HIV Treatment
When children living with HIV are on treatment, they have the opportunity to thrive.
Pediatric antiretrovirals are often bitter, hard for children to swallow, and difficult for caregivers to correctly dose. Newer formulations like pediatric dolutegravir (pDTG) have the potential to improve treatment outcomes.
Palatable fixed-dose formulations that can be crushed, chewed, or sprinkled into food help ensure children living with HIV can easily take and adhere to their treatment.
At EGPAF, we have worked with partners through the years to help roll out new formulations to ensure children have access to the best medicines.
More than Medicine, A Case for Wrap Around Care
At EGPAF our goal is to ensure children live long, healthy lives. When a child living with HIV is virally suppressed, he or she is less at risk of other opportunistic infections, like tuberculosis, advanced HIV disease, or ultimately, death from HIV-related causes.
Children living with HIV need…
Access to Viral Load Testing
so they can manage the virus and thrive
Psychosocial Support
so they can fight back against stigma
Comprehensive Health Care
so they can focus on being children
Helping children achieve viral suppression means helping them stay on treatment. Patient and caregiver education, psychosocial support, and differentiated service delivery – like dispensing multiple months of medication at once or having a special day for children to come to a health facility – can help.
In each of our supported health care settings, we train facility staff to respond to the complex needs of children and adolescents, and we work with communities to reduce HIV stigma and discrimination. We counsel caregivers and clients to ensure they have the tools they need to support their children and themselves.
Too Many Children Continue to Die of AIDS-related Causes
Childhood deaths due to AIDS-related causes are declining but children continue to face challenges. In 2023, children accounted for only 3% of all people living with HIV but comprised 12% of all AIDS-related deaths.
Over 76,000 children died in 2023 due to AIDS-related causes. We will not stop until that number is zero.
