Action Towards a HIV-Free Future

Overview

The urgency of addressing the health needs of children has never been more pressing. Despite significant gains in preventing vertical transmission of HIV, progress has stalled. New HIV infections in children continue to be unacceptably high: In 2023, there were approximately 120,000 new HIV infections among children under five years old. This represents a significant decline from 300,000 new infections in 20102, marking a 62% reduction, but is far below the 2020 global target of 20,000 new infections.

Elimination of Vertical Transmission (EVT) of HIV is a crucial public health objective aimed at reducing and ultimately preventing new HIV infections in children and ensuring the well-being of their mothers. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a country as having reached EVT when the annual targets of having fewer than 50 new pediatric infections per 100,000 live births and a transmission rate of <5% in breastfeeding populations or <2% in non-breastfeeding populations. To date, no sub-Saharan African countries have eliminated vertical transmission of HIV.

With 90% of all children living with HIV globally located in Africa, fulfilling the promise of EVT will be a seismic epidemiological victory with impact felt well beyond African borders. Parliamentarians have a significant and critical role to play in promoting strong visible leadership and accountability across the political, traditional, community, and civil society spheres at national levels, and their involvement is essential for achieving national EVT goals in Africa and beyond. This is not the time for complacency. It’s an opportunity to redouble investments to eliminate vertical transmission.

Learn more about our efforts to eliminate vertical transmission in our new campaign – Don’t Wait, Eliminate.