The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Global Alliance To End AIDS In Children - UNAIDS
Ahead of the Africa launch of the “Global Alliance to end Aids in children” on 1 February in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, UNAIDS warned today of a “forgotten generation of children” grappling with HIV that are not receiving any treatment. Worldwide 1.7 million children are living with HIV.
“Last year alone 160, 000 children were infected with HIV”, said Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS at a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva. “So, what is happening that 12 countries are coming together in Africa because 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa represent 50% of those new infections. And therefore, there is a global alliance coming together to try and put an end to that.”
The “Global Alliance to end Aids in children”, has been launched by UNAIDS, UNICEF and WHO and partners in August 2022 and aims to ensure that every child living with HIV is found and receiving life-saving treatment by the end of the decade but also to prevent new HIV infections among infants and children.
While three quarters of adults living with HIV globally are on treatment, only half of children are.
According to Ms. Sector, “it is mostly trying to stop vertical transmission. Now what is vertical transmission? It’s the mother passing on HIV during pregnancy, during delivery or during breast feeding because most of those transmissions are taking place during breastfeeding”.
Only 52% of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment versus 76 % of adults. Almost 60% of children not on treatment are between 5-14 years.
“There is a big push to get people, adults, on treatment, because the idea is: you cannot transmit the virus if you give treatment to adults”, said UNAIDS spokesperson. “So, what happens is leaders’ realization that we have forgotten all these children, and there is a forgotten generation of children. So now, there has been a scramble to close that faucet, if I may say, of getting to the children before they are even born or after they are born”.
Twelve countries with high HIV vertical transmission have joined the alliance in the first phase: Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“In the case of Nigeria where vertical transmission is almost 25%, there was a lack of test kits, it’s as simple as that. Lack of HIV test kits”, said Charlotte Sector. “Also, many women because it’s a very large country, are giving birth not in clinics. So how do you find those women? So, it’s a question of putting together, and they are doing this notably in Nigeria, the mapping and they are trying to figure out where are the pregnant women and how can we reach them”.
-ends-
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with spokesperson and panel of speakers on screens.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “Last year alone 160, 000 children were infected with HIV. So, what is happening that 12 countries are coming together in Africa because 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa represent 50% of those new infections. And therefore, there is a global alliance coming together to try and put an end to that.”
- Medium shot, journalists listening
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “It is mostly trying to stop vertical transmission. Now what is vertical transmission? It’s the mother passing on HIV during pregnancy, during delivery or during breast feeding because most of those transmissions are taking place during breastfeeding”.
- Close up, journalist.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “There is a big push to get people, adults, on treatment, because the idea is: you cannot transmit the virus if you give treatment to adults. So, what happens is leaders’ realization that we have forgotten all these children, and there is a forgotten generation of children. So now, there has been a scramble to close that faucet, if I may say, of getting to the children before they are even born or after they are born”.
- Medium shot, journalists working on their phones and laptops
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “In the case of Nigeria where vertical transmission is almost 25%, there was a lack of test kits, it’s as simple as that. Lack of HIV test kits. Also, many women because it’s a very large country, are giving birth not in clinics. So how do you find those women? So, it’s a question of putting together, and they are doing this notably in Nigeria, the mapping and they are trying to figure out where are the pregnant women and how can we reach them”.
- Medium shot, journalists and spokesperson
- Close-up, laptop and cellphone.
- Medium shot, WHO spokesperson and WHO speaker
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives, but they will need sustained help as global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UN
Civilians in Iran are continuing to feel the consequences of months of conflict and military escalation, the UN’s top official in the country has said, as loss of life, damage to civilian infrastructure and mounting economic pressures leave many facing continued uncertainty.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Aid agencies in Yemen highlighted the growing hunger emergency sparked by renewed fighting between Houthi opposition forces and Government troops, after mobile health clinics reported that hundreds of children displaced by the violence are suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Displacement on the rise in Yemen as fighting continues - UNHCR
As hostilities worsen in Yemen, more people have been fleeing their homes, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis within the region, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.