Only political will from global leaders — including the U.S. — can get us on track to eliminate HIV in children.


LINKEDIN 1COMMENTMORE
Just a year ago it seemed we might eliminate AIDS in children by 2020. Today, it’s clear progress has stalled in many areas.
The latest statistics are as surprising as they are sobering:
  • This year’s UNAIDS report estimated there were 160,000 new HIV infections in children in 2016 — down only 10,000 from the year before, which is only half the decrease we saw between 2014 and 2015.
  • Similarly, the percentage of women with HIV who are pregnant or breastfeeding and have access to treatment — which prevents transmission to their children — has plateaued around 75% since 2014, after a jump of 7 percentage points the year before.
  • Children are also being left behind in access to lifesaving treatment. Only 43% of infants and children in need have HIV treatment, well below the figure for adults, more than half of whom have access. Tragically, half of children living with HIV die before their second birthdays without access to ART.
More: Halting Myanmar ethnic cleansing: 5 critical steps
More: Saving Puerto Rico: A month after Hurricane Maria, private help and government failure
Far from having childhood AIDS on the run, we’re losing ground.
Conquering AIDS has been a coordinated global effort in recent years, and it will take true commitment from global leaders, including the U.S., to move the needle on eliminating AIDS in children. On National HIV Testing Day in June, President Trump vowed to continue the fight: “My Administration is determined to … continue supporting domestic and global health programs that prioritize testing and treatment for HIV/AIDS.” Yet PEPFAR’s new epidemic control strategy, released in September, to push the number of new HIV infections below the number of AIDS deaths does not reflect data on children. To turn words into actions and continue the hard work needed to end AIDS as a public health threat, global and country-level efforts must not overlook children.
There are reasons to be hopeful we can give children a stronger focus in our efforts to end AIDS. Innovation will be key, because the battle against pediatric AIDS is not easy. For example, Point-of-Care Early Infant Diagnosis technology is helping countries to diagnose the youngest infants within an hour of testing, instead of a month. This means we can quickly identify babies who need HIV treatment. Since last year, my organization, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, has tested more than 9,000 infants using this approach, enabling them to more quickly access life-saving treatment.
More: Britain just expanded free child care. The U.S. should follow its lead.
POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media
Another sign of hope is that for the first time in years we are seeing real movement around creating more affordable, efficient HIV treatments for children, which up to now have only been available for adults. Urgency is now fueling new collaboration among U.S. agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, NGOs, United Nations partners, faith-based organizations and African ministries of health.
We have made incredible strides against other childhood diseases. Ninety-one percentof infants around the world are immunized against at least some childhood disease. And only three countries  — Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan — are not polio-free. It is equally valuable and important to reach the point when 90% of HIV-positive children are virally suppressed and new infections are few and far between. Ongoing progress and breakthroughs can meaningfully improve individual lives, keep mothers from losing their children and help turn the tide of the epidemic — but only if we invest both resources and political will.
The U.S. can and should lead the way. In October, a bipartisan group of U.S. members of Congress introduced a resolution recognizing the importance of a continued commitment to ending pediatric AIDS worldwide. Their words were never more important. By leaning into the fight against pediatric AIDS so that the world reverses its backslide and can meet global targets in 2020, the administration has the opportunity to usher in a success story greater than Supreme Court nominations, tax reform, or even health care reform. It is the opportunity to save lives, make good on promises made and welcome generation after generation into a world free of AIDS because of the actions we took today.
Charles Lyons is CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the world’s leading organization committed to the global elimination of pediatric HIV and AIDS. 
You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @USATOpinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to