Progress is being made to increase access to treatment to
one of the most vulnerable groups – children living with HIV – through the
Accelerating Children’s HIV/AIDS Treatment Initiative (ACT), a joint program of
PEPFAR and the Children’s Investment Foundation Fund (CIFF). Learn about the
program below or
visit the PEPFAR
website
for more information.
What is ACT?
The Accelerating Children’s HIV/AIDS Treatment Initiative
(ACT) is a two-year effort to double the number of children receiving
life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. The $200
million initiative will enable 300,000 more children living with HIV to receive
ART and is funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR) and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
Where will ACT be
implemented?
Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been selected to
participate in ACT. PEPFAR and CIFF worked together to select the participating
countries, which are among those with
the lowest access to pediatric treatment, and the greatest disparity in treatment
coverage for children compared to adults living with HIV/AIDS.
Why is ACT needed?
ACT will bring much-needed treatment to infants, children, and
adolescents living with HIV at this critical time. Evidence shows that without
ART, 50 percent of children living with HIV/AIDS will die before their second
birthday and 80 percent will die before their fifth birthday. Between 2005 and
2012, total AIDS-related deaths decreased globally; however, among adolescents
aged 10–19 years, AIDS related deaths increased. ACT will help address this
disparity. Healthy children will grow economies, create jobs, and contribute to
their families and communities for decades to come.
Why ACT now?
Since its inception, PEPFAR has increased access to
treatment for children living with HIV/AIDS. At the end of 2013, PEPFAR
supported more than half of the total number of children receiving HIV
treatment worldwide. Despite these efforts, pediatric and adolescent ART
coverage remains far too low and lags significantly behind adult ART coverage
in nearly all PEPFAR-supported countries. While there has been considerable
progress over the past several years to increase access to prevention of
mother-to-child transmission interventions and virtually eliminate new
pediatric infections, 240,000 children became newly infected with HIV globally in
2013.
ACT complements existing programs targeting children living
with HIV/AIDS and will contribute to the goals set by other U.S.-supported
HIV/AIDS and child health efforts, including The Global Plan Towards the
Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping their
Mothers Alive and Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal
Deaths. Additional partners from all sectors are encouraged to join ACT and
expand its impact. By working together, we can change the future for millions
of children.
For more information on how you or your church can make a
difference for children living with HIV, please email
HIV@saddleback.com.