World AIDS Day: One child was infected with HIV every 2 minutes in 2020, UNICEF report finds out

The UNICEF report claimed that 1,20,000 children, or one child every five minutes, died due to AIDS-related causes in 2020.

Representational Image (UNICEF)

New Delhi: A new UNICEF report has claimed that at least 3,00,000 children, or one child every two minutes, were newly infected with HIV in 2020. The report was published on Monday (November 29) ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1.

It also stated that 1,20,000 children, or one child every five minutes, died due to AIDS-related causes during the same period.

The latest HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Global Snapshot also warned that a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is deepening the inequalities that have long driven the HIV epidemic and is also putting vulnerable children, adolescents, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers at increased risk of missing HIV prevention and treatment services.

"The HIV epidemic enters its fifth decade amid a global pandemic that has overloaded health care systems and constrained access to life-saving services. Meanwhile, rising poverty, mental health issues, and abuse are increasing children and women’s risk of infection," UNICEF quoted its Executive Director Henrietta Fore as saying. 

"Unless we ramp up efforts to resolve the inequalities driving the HIV epidemic, which are now exacerbated by COVID-19, we may see more children infected with HIV and more children losing their fight against AIDS," she added.

The report noted that several countries across the world saw significant disruptions in HIV services due to COVID-19 in early 2020. 

"HIV infant testing in high burden countries declined by 50 to 70 per cent, with new treatment initiations for children under 14 years of age falling by 25 to 50 per cent. Lockdowns contributed to increased infection rates due to spikes in gender-based violence, limited access to follow-up care, and stockouts of key commodities," it claimed. 

The report highlighted that many countries also experienced substantial reductions in health facility deliveries, maternal HIV testing and antiretroviral HIV treatment initiation. 

"In an extreme example, ART coverage among pregnant women dropped drastically in South Asia in 2020, from 71 per cent to 56 per cent," it stated.

The UNICEF Executive Director also said that building back better in a post-pandemic world must include HIV responses that are evidence-based, people-centred, resilient, sustainable and, above all, equitable. 

"To close the gaps, these initiatives must be delivered through a reinforced health care system and meaningful engagement of all affected communities, especially the most vulnerable," said Fore.