Global HIV Epidemic: New Data Reveals Disproportionate Impact on Children, Vulnerable Populations
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – New data released this year highlights the ongoing global HIV epidemic, with a particularly concerning impact on children and specific regions.approximately 2.42 million children aged 0-19 are currently living with HIV, and in 2024 alone, an estimated 712 children are newly infected with the virus each day. Tragically, 250 children die daily from AIDS-related causes.
The data underscores that mother-to-child transmission remains a important pathway for infection,accounting for around 120,000 new infections among children under five. Approximately 73% of children living with HIV are under the age of 10.
Globally, the primary routes of HIV transmission vary. Data indicates that 58.9% of infections are attributed to sexual contact, 26.8% to injection drug use, 0.5% to transition from mother to baby, and 0.5% to intravenous substance use, with 58.9% categorized as “Othre/Unknown.”
Sub-Saharan Africa bears the heaviest burden, accounting for approximately 65% of all people living with HIV and 86% of children living with the virus worldwide. Within the region, South Africa has seen cases of teenage girls contracting HIV due to abuse.
regional Prevalence:
* Eswatini: 26.8% of the adult population lives with HIV – the highest national rate globally,considerably exceeding the world average.
* Lesotho: 21.1%
* Botswana: 19.9%
* South Africa: 19.1%
* Zimbabwe: 11.9%
* Russia: 1.2% (highest rate among Eastern European countries)
* Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates: 0.1%
Early detection remains a challenge, as many individuals experience no symptoms in the initial weeks after infection, and HIV spreads most easily during the first few months. Some individuals may initially experience flu-like symptoms.
In Turkey, approximately 250 HIV-positive children were diagnosed at the beginning of the year, with around 100 followed at istanbul Faculty of Medicine. Alarmingly, 20 of those cases were determined to be the result of sexual abuse.
