Now is the Time to Fight for an AIDS-Free Generation

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has a legacy of adapting to meet urgent needs in pediatric HIV and AIDS. Founded through a mother’s determination, we are driven to see a world where no other mother, child, or family is devastated by this disease.

Ending this epidemic, however, won’t happen with a narrow focus, or in isolation. It requires access to prevention, treatment, and support to children, youth, mothers, and fathers – for all members of the family, at all stages of life.

With the evolving epidemic in mind, EGPAF intentionally revamped our 2020+ strategic plan to reflect the current environment and the changing nature of the virus.

Over the last 30 years, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has helped drive incredible success toward ending pediatric HIV and AIDS. Childhood infections have dropped by 95 percent in the U.S. and 50 percent globally. In the hardest-hit regions of the world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, rates dropped steadily over the last decade, averting 2 million infections and 1.1 million deaths among children.

HIV and AIDS, however, remains a global and evolving public health crisis that requires a determined and agile response. Progress toward ending AIDS in children and youth has stalled.

This should be a wake-up call for all of us.

UNICEF reports that over 2,000 children in Africa continue to die each week of HIV and AIDS. And there are alarming rates of infection among adolescents and young adults – nearly 10,000 youth become newly infected every week. Deaths among adolescents living with HIV have doubled since 2000, despite a decade-long decline in AIDS-related deaths overall.

Our efforts to address these realities must be as aggressive and nimble as the virus itself.

Addressing Challenges at Each Stage of Life

In the fight to end HIV and AIDS, each stage of life – from infancy to adulthood – brings new and different challenges.

We know that as children grow into adolescence, they face harmful stigma and require tailored support to help them stay consistent with their medication and treatment. Adolescent girls and young women are especially vulnerable to HIV due to gender inequity and limited access to available prevention services, and this raises new questions around how to meet the complex needs of teen mothers with HIV.

Without the continued determination and attention needed to meet these unique challenges, as children transition into adulthood, we could lose momentum and jeopardize the progress we’ve made against this epidemic.

Broadening our Focus

We’ve expanded our focus, solidified our technical leadership, and increased our global advocacy footprint. Yet we remain rooted on the ground and on the international stage, bringing our core expertise in service delivery, innovation, capacity building, research, and advocacy to comprehensively address an evolving HIV and AIDS epidemic.

In 2020 and beyond, we hope you’ll join EGPAF in fighting for an AIDS-free generationso every child can live a full and healthy life into adulthood.

Please join us.

This article was originally posted to LinekdIn by EGPAF CEO Chip Lyons. Read the original here.