One child or youth under 20 infected with HIV every 100 seconds: UNICEF
Approximately once every minute and 40 seconds, a child or young
person under the age of 20 was infected with HIV last year, the UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
Prevention efforts and treatment for children remain some of the
lowest amongst key affected populations, and in 2019, a little less than half
of children worldwide did not have access to life-saving treatment, UNICEF said in a new
report.
Nearly 3,20,000 children and adolescents were newly infected with HIV and 1,10,000
children died of AIDS last year, the Xinhua news agency reported.
"Children are still getting infected at alarming rates, and
they are still dying from AIDS. This was even before Covid-19 interrupted vital HIV treatment and
prevention services putting countless more lives at risk," said UNICEF Executive
Director Henrietta Fore.
According to UNICEF, the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened inequalities
in access to life-saving HIV services for children, adolescents and pregnant
mothers everywhere, and there are serious concerns that one-third of high HIV
burden countries could face coronavirus-related disruptions.
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