Children and Adolescents with Perinatal HIV Exposure
Significant progress has been made in preventing vertical HIV transmission. As of 2024, it is estimated that nearly 16 million children under the age of 15 globally have been perinatally exposed to HIV, but did not acquire HIV . However, an increasing and consistent body of evidence highlights associations between perinatal HIV and antiretroviral drug exposure during gestation and elevated vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. These include increased rates of adverse birth outcomes, infectious morbidity, mortality, impaired growth and suboptimal neurodevelopmental and cognitive outcomes compared with peers born to individuals without HIV
