17th International Workshop on Pediatrics & HIV 2025

Key Messages from This Edition

The 17th International Workshop on Pediatrics & HIV in was held 11-12 July 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. The opening global update demonstrated the continuing importance of research in pediatric/maternal HIV. Despite improvements in the incidence of new infections in children and adolescents since 2010, there has been no change in either group in new infections in 2023 and 2024 and children living with HIV continue to lag adults in diagnosis and treatment, with only 47% of children on ART. Similarly, maternal ART coverage, 84%, has not changed for over 5 years, and >50% of new infections in infants still occur because women are not diagnosed and started on ART, with 25% because of incident infection in pregnant or breastfeeding women.

The workshop presented cutting-edge research in children and pregnant women on exciting new interventions that, if implemented, could significantly impact treatment and prevention for children and women. Long-acting PrEP, including injectable long-acting cabotegravir and lenacapavir, offer important new highly effective prevention interventions for adolescents and women. New studies have provided dosing for dolutegravir (DTG) in term newborns, allowing newborn prophylaxis and treatment to include this potent integrase inhibitor for the first time. Pediatric clinical trials have demonstrated effectiveness of DTG for initial and subsequent ART and the safety of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) in children. An early preview was provided of the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on treatment and prevention in children that incorporate many of the findings presented at the workshop.

The potential use of novel interventions to induce remission of HIV in children including early treatment and broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies were discussed. The science and clinical significance of premature aging in youth with perinatal HIV infection was discussed as well as data on the potential use of statins to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population.

The importance of pediatric co-infections with tuberculosis (TB) on pediatric mortality were discussed, as well as data demonstrating the effectiveness of TB preventive therapy in children. Detection and treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cervical cancer in Africa as well as efforts to increase HPV vaccination in youth were presented. Especially relevant to the African setting for our workshop, the impact of the new epidemic of Mpox in children and pregnant women was discussed.

It was acknowledged that the global HIV response is under threat due to funding freezes and terminations. Participants noted that more than ever we need to identify innovative ways to reach our goals for HIV prevention and treatment in children and to ensure pregnant women and children are not left behind, and that implementation of many of the findings presented at the workshop are a priority.