Commentary: In the fight to end AIDS, girls and young women matter

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR — which has saved 25 million lives over the past 20 years and allowed 5.5 million babies to be born HIV-free— demonstrates what’s possible when leaders, countries and communities hold each other accountable and work together to advance health systems and increase access to care for vulnerable populations.

However, there’s more work to be done. Many of the babies born HIV-free are now adolescent girls or young women of all new infections in sub-Saharan Africa.