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Pediatric HIV: Progress on Prevention, Treatment, and Cure

  • Infectious Diseases (B Marais, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pediatrics Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This review provides an update on current developments with prevention, treatment, and cure strategies in the field of pediatric HIV. There has been tremendous progress in the prevention and treatment of pediatric HIV infection. With new strategies for prevention of mother-to-child transmission, we are growing ever closer toward elimination of pediatric HIV, though challenges with retention of pregnant woman and their HIV-exposed infants remain. Ongoing vigilance regarding the potential hazards of in utero ART exposure to infants continues with no significant alarms yet identified. Though cure has not been achieved, evidence of the impact of early treatment on reducing HIV-1 reservoir size with subsequent prolonged remission has enlivened efforts to rapidly identify and treat HIV-infected newborns. There is an increasing array of treatment options for pediatric patients and reassuring evidence regarding long-term complications of ART. Unfortunately, despite evidence suggesting the benefit of early treatment, timely identification and treatment of children remains a challenge. Better strategies for effective case finding and engagement in care are urgently needed in addition to an improved understanding of how to retain HIV-positive children and adolescents on treatment. However, further emboldened by recent international commitments and robust global support, the future is hopeful.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

MHK was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under award number K01 TW009644. The authors would like to thank Rachael Sabelli for her assistance with the references and Robbie Flick for his assistance in developing Figs. 1 and 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Retrovirology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Maria H. Kim & Saeed Ahmed

  2. Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi

    Maria H. Kim & Saeed Ahmed

  3. Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP-Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Elaine J. Abrams

  4. College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Elaine J. Abrams

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  1. Maria H. Kim
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  2. Saeed Ahmed
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  3. Elaine J. Abrams
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Correspondence to Maria H. Kim.

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Maria H. Kim, Saeed Ahmed, and Elaine J. Abrams declare they have no conflict of interest.

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Kim, M.H., Ahmed, S. & Abrams, E.J. Pediatric HIV: Progress on Prevention, Treatment, and Cure. Curr Pediatr Rep 3, 219–229 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40124-015-0087-7

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