Report: Only 52% of Children Living with HIV Received Antiretrovirals in 2021 : Mark Hereward / Chewe Luo

We have failed the world's children and adolescents living with HIV. According to new estimates, only 52 per cent of children (0-14 years) living with HIV were receiving antiretrovirals (ART) in 2021 compared to 81 per cent of pregnant women and 76 per cent of adults. An astounding 800,000 children and adolescents living with HIV (0-14 years) are untreated, even though new testing technologies and HIV self-tests are more widely available, and paediatric ART options are better tolerated, more effective and cheaper than ever before. © UNICEF/UN0640787/Dejongh The new data provide updates on HIV epidemiology and the AIDS response for children, adolescents and women, showing that we are far from ending new HIV infections in children. About 160,000 new paediatric HIV infections occurred in 2021.  There are 21 HIV high burden countries and settings where progress in preventing vertical transmission has flatlined. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the world further off track to achieving global goals – between 2019 and 2021, ART coverage among pregnant and breastfeeding women declined in 6 out of these 21 countries.   Learn about UNICEF's data work on HIV/AIDS Access the dashboard Access the datasets

All partners need to work together with national governments to mobilize leadership, funding and action to protect HIV services for children, adolescents and women and to end AIDS in children. We encourage you to share this email with your network as appropriate.   Mark Hereward Chief Data Officer Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring UNICEF Chewe Luo Associate Director HIV/AIDS Programme Group UNICEF